When I was 16 my dad gave me a gift. Our neighbor had just opened an insurance office down the street and my father got me a job as a telemarketer. Granted, I wanted a new car. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the thought of calling people during dinner to solicit auto insurance quotes. But as I look back, this part-time job shaped my entire career. It’s where I learned that if I wanted to be successful in sales, I needed to ditch the pitch.

My first day of work our neighbor sat me down at my desk, gave me a stack of cards filled with names, addresses & phone numbers, showed me how to dial 9 for an outside line and gave me a pink piece of paper with “the pitch.” My job was simple. Call people and get them to agree to getting an auto insurance quote.

The “pitch” proved to be worthless. This sorry excuse for a script was probably written by some sort of insurance monkey at the corporate office who didn’t know a lick about sales. Here were my first 30 calls:

Andrea: Hi, Mrs. So-and-so. My name is Andrea from Blah Blah Blah Insurance Company.

Mrs. So-and-So: <hang up expediently>

or

Andrea: Hi, Mr. Someone. My name is Andrea from Blah Blah Blah Insurance Company.

Mr. Someone: Don’t you have anything better to do with your time? <hang up>

Andrea: (mumbling under breath so her new boss doesn’t hear) Of course I do. I’m sixteen and could be out partying with my friends.

People don’t want to talk to insurance agents. I was seen as a big fat waste of time. So I decided to try things my own way.

I tried all sorts of things, like:

• Talking in a (very fake, but I tried so hard) British accent

and

• Being blunt by saying “Hi, I know I probably just interrupted your dinner and I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job. would you like an auto insurance quote?”

After all sorts of trials and errors, I stumbled upon a method that actually worked.

First a little back story; I grew up in Ashland, VA which is a town so small we actually had a town song that we would all get together and sing at the town talent show each spring (true story). Think “The Music Man” meets “Leave it to Beaver” and you’re close.

So being from a small town I noticed that I personally knew half the people on the list – or at least their children.

I changed my sales pitch to something like this:

Andrea: Hi, Ms. Smith. This is Andrea – I go to school with your daughter Amy.

Ms. Smith: Hi, Andrea. How are you?

Andrea: I’m doing great. How about yourself?

Ms. Smith: Pretty well, thanks. Did you want to talk to Amy?

Andrea: Actually, I was calling to talk to you. See, I have a new job working at Blah Blah Blah Insurance Company. I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m just collecting information so we can send you a quote, followed up by a nice hand-written thank you card and then you can decide if you want to do anything with it.

Ms. Smith: (slightly taken aback) Oh. (usually a pause) How long will it take me to fill out?

Andrea: About 3 minutes.

Ms. Smith: Well, OK. Go ahead.

Yep, it was that simple. Eventually I outsold everyone in the office (and made darn good money).

So why did this method work when everything else failed?

1. Establishing a personal connection. Once it’s established that you and your prospect have something in common – it takes your chances of closing to a whole new level.
2. Removing the pressure. No one wants to be “sold.” When is the last time you went to a sketchy used car lot seeking the thrill of being pressured into something you don’t want to buy? Saying “you can decide what you do with it” signaled to my prospects that I respected their time and wasn’t going to pressure them into something they didn’t want.
3. Cutting ties quickly. Occasionally I’d get the “No, thank you.” My reply was always, “Thanks for your time. Have a great day.” The way I saw it, it was much easier to dial more numbers than it was to convince someone that they really did want a quote. In the end, if a customer is sold because of pressure, the likelihood of them being a loyal customer is greatly diminished.
4. Sincerely believing in my product. Most of the people who stuck it out to get a quote ended up saving money. I thought this was a good thing, so I felt like I was providing a great value. Later in life, I sold advertising in a low-quality and very expensive print publication. I knew the ads were a bad investment and learned quickly that you can’t “fake” belief in your product. And if you don’t believe in it – you can’t sell it.

I’m lucky. I’ve been inundated with projects over the past week (which explains the slump in my posting schedule).

But yesterday I found myself taking way more time than usual to get my ideas out of my head and into the computer. I was stressing, feeling the pressure of an impending deadline compounded with the need to be absolutely brilliant. At the end of the day, I felt drained – knowing that I wasn’t nearly as productive as I needed to be and seeing deadlines piling up for the next day.

Today I awoke determined to make it a better day. I remembered a post I wrote a few months ago about covering your computer screen when you feel writer’s block. I debated in my mind as to whether or not I actually had the time to brainstorm ideas today. With the deadlines piling up – I was still feeling the time crunch.

So I made the decision to take 5 minutes to color a black piece of paper with the words “Just Think” in big letters. Then I scattered inspiring phrases around the page:

• You’re an excellent communicator!
• Just type it.
• There are no bad ideas.
• Edit later.
• Just get it down.
• You’re brilliant!
• Don’t overthink.
• It’s already there.
• You can do it!
• Listen to your muse.
• Write like you talk.

The result? I’m caught up. After allowing about 10 minutes of pure brainstorming, a phrase jumped out that inspired me.

I’m not sure why I stopped this practice in the first place, but I’ve learned my lesson – brainstorming time is essential to cranking out quick, quality copy.

Many of us search for the perfect words to help sell our product or service. We tweak the recipe until we have a proprietary blend of personality and professionalism. The words jump off the page and the reader feels connected. That is great writing.

I’ve discovered a secret during my career as a copywriter and marketing coach. Toning ideas down is a heck of a lot easier than jazzing them up.

My first few projects started from a logical point of view. I wrote and edited at the same time as most people do. The words were acceptable, but they lacked that certain je-ne-sais-quoi. It needed some sparkle – but adding sparkle to swill isn’t easy.

One day I decided to give my thinking a makeover. I set a goal to find all the outrageous ideas lurking in the far corners of my brain and get them out of my head and onto my computer screen.

I decorated a piece of card stock with silly symbols and the words “JUST THINK” and covered my computer screen. Somehow the paper removed the tiny editor that sat somewhere in my head trashing ideas before they even got to the screen. Since I couldn’t see my work, all my crazy ideas (not just the logical ones) made the journey from my brain, through my fingers and onto the computer.

The result? I discovered many of the ideas that normally wouldn’t have made the cut were more effective than the so-called logical ideas. With a little tweaking and toning down I had writing that worked. The process also saved me time and was fun to boot.

So the next time you’re experiencing writer’s block try covering your screen and opening your mind. Then sit back and watch your ideas blossom.

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Andrea Morris is a marketing coach who specializes in helping visionaries, entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses use high-ROI strategies to get the right message to the right people. For more information, please visit writeideasmarketing.com

Fellow blogger Fred Sarkari posted a true-to-life tale of a mistake that I know all of us have made at one point or another – double booking appointments. To read the full story click here.

Fred’s reaction to his mistake and the choice to be upfront, honest, and genuine is one we can all take a lesson from. We will make mistakes – there’s no question about that. The question becomes how do you handle your mistakes?

Do you hide, lie, and cheat? Because if you do – you are making a bad name for all of us who believe in selling with integrity. In addition, unethical sales is hard work – remember Quintillian’s quote, “a liar should have a good memory.” You are actually creating more work for yourself – and you’re busy already, so why would you choose to do that?

Instead, let’s dare to be honest. Let’s follow Fred’s example and reap the rewards of better clients, more referrals, and a cleaner conscience.

Kudos!

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Andrea Morris is a marketing coach who specializes in helping visionaries, entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses use high-ROI strategies to get the right message to the right people. For more information, please visit www.writeideasmarketing.com.

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If you read my blog regularly, you may have noticed that it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post. I believe it was the Beatles who said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” How true.

There has been a recent family emergency that has required me to pack up and move out of town on a very short notice. Funny thing was, the thing I missed the most was my work. I kept thinking of how I’d rather be blogging or reading about the latest ad campaign, or writing copy. My vacation from life is to get back to work.

Do you love what you do? Does your passion resonate with your clients and prospects? Being genuinely enthused about your work is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business. When I was in corporate sales, a mantra I heard ad nausea was “People buy from people they like.” And it’s true – your passion will lead to your profits.

If you’re in business, ask yourself why. Is it because you have a passion for your product or service and genuinely believe that you’re making a difference – or is it just for the money, fame, notoriety, etc? If it’s the latter, could you take a look at your business, find something you are passionate about, and ride that wave? It can’t hurt – and heck, if we can enjoy what we do – isn’t that half the battle?

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Andrea Morris is a marketing coach who specializes in helping visionaries, entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses use high-ROI strategies to get the right message to the right people. For more information, please visit www.writeideasmarketing.com.

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Yesterday I came home, checked my mail and was jazzed to see my March copy of Inc. Magazine in the mailbox. On the last page was the section of The Office by Leigh Buchanan where she expressed her extreme displeasure in the use of emoticons in business correspondence.

I’m guessing that my March issue is so hot-off-the-press and that’s why I have yet to find the link to the article from Inc’s website. Once it’s up, I’ll link it here.

So what is the role of emoticons? I agree, in a business correspondence it’s an understudy at best. Yet, I find that in the absence of any other form of expression with someone who you have had a long standing relationship with, a simple smiley can be good.

I’m thinking specifically of a client that I’ve had for about 6 months. We are in completely different time zones – she’s in California, I’m on the East Coast near Washington DC. 99% of our correspondence is via e-mail. When I submit an idea, her emoticon at the end of the “looks great” makes a big difference. It actually reminds me that I am dealing with a human who has feelings and it helps me picture her on the other end of cyberspace and the emotions she’s expressing. To me, this is important, because I can gauge whether or not a project is on the right track.

Ms. Buchanan also suggests the complete eradication of emoticons – and puts the idea to her readers that they replace the simple with a long, drawn-out description such as:

“Picture if you will a colon: one tiny, perfect dot poised above its brother. Now imagine that colon transformed into a pair of eyes, bright and sparkling with mischief. From between those dots extends a hyphen. Yet screw up your eyes and…do you see it? A nose! Yes, a nose! Patrician in its straightness it dips toward the generous curve of a closing parenthesis. That parenthesis is a mouth, corners up-tilted in mirth. Viewed in a sum, these marks compose a face whose expression of gentle amusement suggests the good humor intended in the previous remark”

Are you serious!?

I’m all for literary masterpieces, yet if you don’t have time for a how the heck do you have time for THAT?

I find this as a classic symptom of the literary superiority syndrome. There are just some cases where a simple graphic can capture the feelings that are too complex for words (remember “a picture is worth a thousand words”) Finding the balance between graphics and words is the real aim of the game.

I wonder if people had the same reaction when contractions entered the picture? I think emoticons will eventually fall into the same category as don’t, won’t, etc.

You won’t use them in business correspondence, but they do have their place.

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Andrea Morris is a marketing coach who specializes in helping visionaries, entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses use high-ROI strategies to get the right message to the right people. For more information, please visit writeideasmarketing.com

Are you a small business, consultant or entrepreneur? Looking for ways to market your services to bring in more sales?

I don’t need to tell you that a big reason 8 out of 10 US businesses fail is because they don’t have sufficient sales to sustain their business – I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times.

However, if you’re like most entrepreneurs the thought of “selling” makes your stomach churn. When we do a word association with “salesperson”, most of my clients say things like “sleazy”, “untrustworthy”, “pushy” or “unethical.”

In fact, a recent Gallup Poll indicates that sales people really do have a bad rap – with sales/marketing being 3 out of the 4 least trusted professions.

So you NEED to sell and you don’t want to be a salesperson. Easy enough.

Here are 101 ideas that you can use to market your small business without becoming “salesy”

1. What makes you better than your competition? Click here for a great post about PODs (Point of Distinctions)

2. Become the character of your customers and start writing like they’re really thinking. What do they look like, act like, sound like, even smell like? What is important to them? Try using some of their slang – a great book for that is Slang by Paul Dickson.

3. Blog. Click here for a 101 list on how

4. Send thank you letters to new people you meet. Mention a snippet from your conversation. If you really want to stand out – hand-write them.

5. Join networking groups - Chambers of Commerce, BNI, Industry Associations and attend their events

6. Show passion – there’s an old adage “people buy from people they like.” Let it show that you really love what you do.

7. Get a system to organize your clients - personally, I like using
ACT! 2005

8. Keep meticulous notes on your prospects and clients likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. and send relevant articles (“I saw this and thought of you. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!”)

8. Turn “cold calls” into “warm calls.” Find a connection between you and the other person and lead with that. “Hi Mr. Smith, I noticed you’re a member of the Chamber of Commerce too. Want to meet for coffee? I think we could refer a lot of business to each other.”

9. Read anything about your industry – blogs, books, newspapers, magazines and use current issues when you talk to clients. (“I know what you mean – I read an article about that just the other day!”)

10. Change your voicemail to illustrate your POD (point of distinction).

11. Change your voicemail to say links to your website and blog

12. Speak in public at Chamber events, associations, networking groups, etc. Nervous getting up in front of people? Hire a coach. Looking for resources? go to www.speakernetnews.com.

13. Have a message that interrupts – you have less than 2 seconds to get people to say either “I want to learn more” or “NEXT!”

14. Cut the B.S. out of your Marketing Material. Click here for one of my blogs about this.

15. Smile – even when you’re on the phone. Believe it or not, it changes the sound of your voice.

16. Change “I” language to “you” language - what is your client going to get from doing business with you?

17. When there is a problem you can expect word of mouth activity. If you handle the problem quickly and exceed your client’s expectations – you’ll get great word of mouth. On the other hand, if you don’t empathize and adhere to “policy” your customers will leave and tell 10 people. (Think about the last time you had bad service in a restaurant)

18. Have a system for feedback and respond to client’s requests

19. Don’t over-promise, over-deliver

20. Dress for the clients you want.

21. Be unexpected, yet relevant.

22. Respond quickly to voice-mails and emails - within 24 hours. Show your prospects and clients you’re not too busy.

23. Reward your current clients for their referrals. Could you send a gift card? Thank you note? Discount on next purchase?

24. Be upfront and honest. People can tell when they’re being swindled.

25. Avoid using industry jargon and acronyms

26. Be consistent. A marketing campaign is like a gym membership. It doens’t do any good unless you use it regularly.

27. Value pricing ($2000 for this, this, this and this) is easier to market than hourly. Alan Weiss wrote the book on this topic.

28. Don’t oversell, over-educate

29. Brainstorm first – polish later

30. There are no bad ideas when brainstorming

31. Use focus groups. Limited resources? Use your own network and get gut reactions.

32. Your first instinct is usually right – learn to listen to your gut.

33. ROI, ROI, ROI!!!! What time/money will you be spending? Is it worth it?

34. As in financial investing – a diversified campaign will be best in the long run.

35. Be prepared for your “best case scenario.” Do you have the ability to grow quickly to respond to customer demands?

36. PR is cheaper than advertising- write several articles and submit them to papers, magazines, and even websites to help get your name out there (you may want to try publicrelationssoftware.com – there is a fee for this service.)

37. You’ve heard the cliche – “Everything to everyone is nothing to no one.” Pick a niche and focus there.

38. Perception = Reality – What people perceive of you is what they will think of you.

39. Value – Price Ratio – Find the balance between your quality and price. Some people shop at Neiman Marcus, others at Wal-Mart and it’s for very different reasons.

40. People love quizzes – take a lesson from Cosmo and make a short simple quiz for your business.

41. A great plan is no match for poor execution

42. Have a “elevator pitch”

43. Could you give back to your community by offering a gift certificate, discount or product to a fundraiser or event?

44. Read SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham and use the Field Guide

45. When meeting new people – ask questions about them. Listen 80% and talk 20% of the time.

46. Branding is more than a logo – it’s everything your customer does to make a perception.

47. Looking for a logo? Try using elogodesign.com

48. Seize the opportunity for free training and continuing education (i.e. conventions and conferences)- use it as a networking event.

49. Need a good graphic artist, writer, web tech, or consultant? Check out www.elance.com

50. Write a book showcasing your expertise. www.lulu.com has great resources so you can self-publish.

51. Have an action step. Do you want people to call you? visit your website? send to a friend? Tell people what you want them to do with your marketing.

52. Learn the “hot buttons” your client has. What problems does your product/service solve?

53. Spell-check.

54. Read your material backwards to help catch any errors. A friend of mine once sent out an email to the top dogs in her firm with the subject “XYZ company goes PUBIC” – don’t let this happen to you.

55. Remove the “fluff” - learn to be concise.

56. Format for easy scanning- use bullets, lists, graphics to help keep people reading.

57. Keep sales letters to one page front only.

58. Use catchy headlines to get people intrigued and saying “tell me more.” Want to learn how to create a catchy headline? Read POP! Stand Out in any Crowd by Sam Horn

59. Know your competition - what are they doing? How are they pricing things? If they set up a successful marketing campaign how would that would impact you?

60. Think about your legal implications. Be cautious not to break trademark or copyright laws. Questions? Ask a lawyer. Need a lawyer? Try www.lawyers.com

61. Timing is everything – does your campaign need to be sent out at a particular time of year? Example – which CPA’ s “I’ll help you with your taxes” campaign is more likely to get a better response? The one sent March 1st or the one sent May 1st?

62. Start keeping a file of ads that jumped out at you. Why did they do that? How can you do the same?

63. Frequency is generally more important than a pop-shot. Yes, I know – there are always exceptions to the rule – like GoDaddy.com. For a small business – just keep it frequent.

64. Imagine your sales is fruit on a tree – you need to pick it at the right time. To early – no one will eat it. Leave it on too long and it will rot (or someone else will pick it).

65. Speak in benefits not features. A feature is what your product/service does or has (example: our cars have seat-belts). A benefit is what your features actually do for your clients (example: our seat-belts can help save your life)

66. Use “action” words (verbs) first in a bulleted list. (Some examples: Impact, Enhance, Become)

67. Do you think questions will help your marketing? You bet they will!

68. Anticipate objections - think of every single reason that someone wouldn’t want to buy your product/service and have a prepared response.

69. If you don’t know the answer to a question – it’s OK! Say, “That’s a great question – I’ll research it and get the answer by the end of the day.” Then research it and get back to them by the end of the day.

70. Could you benefit from new web-tools? I know a local restaurant that wanted to promote their new networking night for young professionals. They packed the house by using myspace.com.

71. Craigslist.com is a great place to post a special event, job opening, etc. - and its FREE!

72. Check out meetup.com to see if there are any local groups in your area that you could market to. Could you offer a special discount, place to meet or donate supplies? I’m a member of a pug meetup – a bakery came to our meetup with free homemade dog treats and left with lots of new clients.

73. How are you sending your direct mail? Is a plain white envelope a barrier to entry? Check out www.overnightprints.com for low-cost, glossy, card-stock postcards. Or try something completely different and use a mailtube.

73. Is your business card effective? Would changing it to bright colors, a different material or a new shape spark conversation?

74. What about promotional products? If you sell candles, would a nice lighter with your logo be a nice gift to hand out with every purchase?

75. Could you start a mastermind group? Would you benefit from having a group of people you trust to bounce ideas off of?

76. Are you using referral partners? If you have a company that cleans carpets, are you spending your time and effort meeting with real estate agents to get them to refer your services?

77. Is your website Search Engine Optimized? When people type your product or service in Google, where does your company come in?

78. What other products/services complement yours? If you had a company that sold peanut butter, and your friend had a company that sold jelly – could you create a joint marketing effort promoting both of your businesses at the same time?

79. Looking for a way to test market a slogan with real people? Go to www.vistaprint.com and get a free business card (you won’t be able to upload your graphic or anything, but hey, it’s free) and order one with the tagline you want to use. Show it to people at networking events and see what they think.

80. Start looking at customers who complain in a different way. They care enough about your company to tell you exactly what you need to do better! Over-deliver by not only fixing the problem, but rewarding their feedback (thank you note, gift card, etc.)

81. How are you using trade shows? Could this be a great way to test market new ideas with people you’ve never met? Could you get market research by offering a door prize for filling out a questionnaire?

82. PPPP – Product, Price, Place (Distribution Method) and Promotion must all be in alignment.

83. If you gave away something as a bonus (think, “but wait, there’s more!”) would this be more effective than giving a discount?

84. Would imagery help your campaign? Remember the commercial: This is your brain (shows an egg) – This is your brain on drugs (egg cracked in the frying pan)

85. Could you use Youtube.com as a way to build buzz? Keep in mind, your video needs to be funny for this to work. Think covert instead of overt.

86. If you “don’t have time to market” make time by outsourcing non-revenue generating activities (ex: bookkeeping, payroll, accounting, HR, etc.)

87. Make your website more interactive. Do you have articles, resources, etc. that you could share? How often is it updated?

88. Could you use teleseminars, podcasts and webinars to help promote your services?

89. Send out an e-zine at least once a month. Again – consistency is best. Pick a schedule and stick to it. I like mailchimp.com – it’s packed with resources on creating a great email campaign.

90. Use lots and lots and lots of testimonials – it boosts your credibility. Need to get testimonials? Ask your current clients.

91. Check out the American Marketing Association for tools, webinars, and resources.

92. Perform a SWOT analysis - What are your company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats? (strengths and weaknesses are internal while opportunities and threats are external)

92. Do a situation analysis. Discuss the 4P’s (Product, Place, Price & Promotion), your target market, your competition, environmental factors (both internal and external things that are out of your control) and do a SWOT analysis.

93. Develop a marketing plan. Looking at your situation analysis – this is where you are. Where do you want to be and how are you going to get there?

94. Take a course to help you understand marketing. Marketing 101 at your local community college? A teleseminar from AMA? or a course from www.freeinternetmarketingcourses.com

95. Understand the difference between advertising, marketing and sales. One way to think of it is – advertising is the pick-up line, marketing is dating, and the sale is the marriage.

96. Use metaphors - turn abstract thoughts into stories that help people “get it.”

97. Associate with something people already know – a book, movie, cliche. Click here for a blog post about this.

98. Say “thank you” to your clients often. Show them your appreciation.

99. Use words in a new way. A nutritionist sent a follow-up post card saying “Now that you’ve had time to marinate with your new healthy-living lifestyle.” Are there industry words you could use in a new way?

100. Write a 101 list

101. Have fun building your business. Marketing is a great way to be creative and think out of the box. Enjoy it!

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Andrea Morris is a marketing coach who specializes in helping visionaries, entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses use high-ROI strategies to get the right message to the right people. For more information, please visit writeideasmarketing.com