How Many Known, High Volume Customers Would You Buy
...at Just $5 each?
Imagine for a second that you could get all the people that pay the highest cost per copy to tell you how many copies they make, how much they pay, and how often they make copies?
What would that information be worth to you?
It sure would save you an great deal of time prospecting. Hitting the phones making call after call, listening to "No", "No thank you", "Stop calling here!"
Imagine you now live in a world where you could ethically bribe your prospects to tell you all they know. They would tell you where they go for copying services, how much volume they do, how many times each week, month, year, they use that company's service. They will also show you their exact cost per copy.
You understand what a great benefit, what a great cost saver that would be for you.
When you consider the phone bills for outbound telemarketing, the huge volumes of people you have to hear say "No" before you get to the one "Maybe",when you consider the man hours and mileage expense of driving to see prospects, you can really see the dollar savings and the profit potential of instead...
Having the customers come to you and say, "Help me man...I need you!"
Try this: Begin offering (advertising that you have) an exchange program. Get the word out in your community that you will offer a $5 gift card to any customer who brings in the register receipts from (you pick the store or stores ...I'm thinking of Kinko's, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples). Offer to give them a $5 gift card from that store when they bring in $100 in total spending receipts from their favorite copy making place. Make it $10 if you're generous!
In order to get the card, they must of course give you their name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.. Wham... Once you have that, you can track, analyze, market, email, newsletter them to death until they are literally dead, move, tell you to stop, or they buy!
With a $5 gift card bribe you got them to raise their hand, admit that they are paying the highest costs/copy anywhere, and then give you a reason to help them out.
Surely any salesman worth his salt can find a way for this needy customer to buy something from your place now... right? Once you get their info you can even sweeten the deal by switching. Offer to let him trade that $5 gift card to Kinko's for a $100 credit at your store.
At a cost of just $5 per really great prospect...
How many customers would you like to buy?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Let's Party... Balloons For Everyone!
Makes buying from you so much fun...
they want to do it again and again!
Remember in my last post how I recommended you think of the new machine delivery as not just an imposition, but rather a fantastic opportunity? An opportunity to construct in your buyers mind a positive impression of you and your company. An opportunity to make buying from you fun...something he or she wants to do again and again. You can actually condition your customer to associate buying from you with a pleasurable experience.
Every time he rings the buying bell, he gets a treat!
Here's a great inexpensive way to do it. But I must warn you...it's bold, it's not for wall flowers. If you're going to really make it work you've got to embrace the technique whole-heartedly. Really play it up. Are you ready...
5 helium balloons (on strings of course) must be delivered with the machine. Ideally they will say, "CONGRATUALTIONS!" It's simple and it arouses curiosity among all who see them. You can put your company name on them if you insist, but it really is all about them today. Plus, it is so much easier (and cheaper) to buy stock balloons than to have them specially printed just for you.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" On what?
Exactly! We want to open a dialog. Now just look how much attention you've brought. "Did they win a new copier?"
Everyone will smile (because we have all been pre-conditioned by balloons...they always mean something special is happening...and it's good!)
If you are delivering through an office complex take the long way...be sure to get maximum exposure. If you took my previous advice, have company cars and delivery vehicles trumpeting your name, and delivery men or technicians in uniform, everyone will know and associate your name with something good.
3 BONUS POINTS:
1. You will leave the balloons with the new equipment, thus getting you up to a week of added smiles (good feelings...conditioning!).
2. The customer may take the balloons out of the office, maybe take them home to their kids. This of course will spark more dialog with other offices, friends or spouses...who tell two friends, etc.
3. You've just created the machine's birthday party!
Look what Build-A-Bear did.
They took a one time buying decision and turned it into an event to be shared with all your friends. The stuffed bear that you once bought for $9.95 has now become the bear that you give life to, clothe and name - complete with birth certificate - to the tune of nearly $30.00! Then, you'll need to come back to buy more clothes and accessories that will bring the real cost of that bear to $50+ dollars.
But they made it fun! And that's what you've got to do.
Now that you have created the copier's birthday, you have a reason to come back into that office every single year until its dead. Celebrate once more the passing of another year..with more balloons of course and maybe a special promotional gift!
Well there you have it. A very simple way to get tons of attention and dialog, create a Pavlovian response mechanism, and set yourself apart from all the rest of the boring providers of the exact same service in your town.
Don't go overboard and turn the event into a circus. Don't be a clown and this technique is just right for any business to business transaction.
Make doing business with you a pleasureable experience and you'll score big points with office workers whose lives are pretty boring and uneventful most days, weeks, months.
You will be remembered...positively!
Need ideas for promotional products?
Check out http://www.impactpromotions.com
Lot's of good stuff, plus tips and sample packages.
P.S. I have no affiliation with them, get no benefit if you go there. I recommend you check it out because I have used them in the past and been very pleased.
P.P.S. Wahoo! I made it! 5 straight days of posting.
I'll post new information every business day, then I'll be taking a break on Saturday to spend all day with my family. On Sundays I will be posting a review of the most inspiring or relevant books I have read, or perhaps the most beneficial websites. I have read (and continue to read) on average two books per month (non-fiction, mostly business and marketing) over the past year. So, I should have no trouble filling that post. Plus, it will get me to re-read several books that I know I should...but have put off for one reason or another.
Thanks for Staying With Me...Now go Get Some Balloons!
they want to do it again and again!
Remember in my last post how I recommended you think of the new machine delivery as not just an imposition, but rather a fantastic opportunity? An opportunity to construct in your buyers mind a positive impression of you and your company. An opportunity to make buying from you fun...something he or she wants to do again and again. You can actually condition your customer to associate buying from you with a pleasurable experience.
Every time he rings the buying bell, he gets a treat!
Here's a great inexpensive way to do it. But I must warn you...it's bold, it's not for wall flowers. If you're going to really make it work you've got to embrace the technique whole-heartedly. Really play it up. Are you ready...
5 helium balloons (on strings of course) must be delivered with the machine. Ideally they will say, "CONGRATUALTIONS!" It's simple and it arouses curiosity among all who see them. You can put your company name on them if you insist, but it really is all about them today. Plus, it is so much easier (and cheaper) to buy stock balloons than to have them specially printed just for you.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" On what?
Exactly! We want to open a dialog. Now just look how much attention you've brought. "Did they win a new copier?"
Everyone will smile (because we have all been pre-conditioned by balloons...they always mean something special is happening...and it's good!)
If you are delivering through an office complex take the long way...be sure to get maximum exposure. If you took my previous advice, have company cars and delivery vehicles trumpeting your name, and delivery men or technicians in uniform, everyone will know and associate your name with something good.
3 BONUS POINTS:
1. You will leave the balloons with the new equipment, thus getting you up to a week of added smiles (good feelings...conditioning!).
2. The customer may take the balloons out of the office, maybe take them home to their kids. This of course will spark more dialog with other offices, friends or spouses...who tell two friends, etc.
3. You've just created the machine's birthday party!
Look what Build-A-Bear did.
They took a one time buying decision and turned it into an event to be shared with all your friends. The stuffed bear that you once bought for $9.95 has now become the bear that you give life to, clothe and name - complete with birth certificate - to the tune of nearly $30.00! Then, you'll need to come back to buy more clothes and accessories that will bring the real cost of that bear to $50+ dollars.
But they made it fun! And that's what you've got to do.
Now that you have created the copier's birthday, you have a reason to come back into that office every single year until its dead. Celebrate once more the passing of another year..with more balloons of course and maybe a special promotional gift!
Well there you have it. A very simple way to get tons of attention and dialog, create a Pavlovian response mechanism, and set yourself apart from all the rest of the boring providers of the exact same service in your town.
Don't go overboard and turn the event into a circus. Don't be a clown and this technique is just right for any business to business transaction.
Make doing business with you a pleasureable experience and you'll score big points with office workers whose lives are pretty boring and uneventful most days, weeks, months.
You will be remembered...positively!
Need ideas for promotional products?
Check out http://www.impactpromotions.com
Lot's of good stuff, plus tips and sample packages.
P.S. I have no affiliation with them, get no benefit if you go there. I recommend you check it out because I have used them in the past and been very pleased.
P.P.S. Wahoo! I made it! 5 straight days of posting.
I'll post new information every business day, then I'll be taking a break on Saturday to spend all day with my family. On Sundays I will be posting a review of the most inspiring or relevant books I have read, or perhaps the most beneficial websites. I have read (and continue to read) on average two books per month (non-fiction, mostly business and marketing) over the past year. So, I should have no trouble filling that post. Plus, it will get me to re-read several books that I know I should...but have put off for one reason or another.
Thanks for Staying With Me...Now go Get Some Balloons!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Part 3: Making A Case For Recognition
How Can I Find You When I Need You?
If there is someone in your town who is in business and they don't know your company's name or what you do...I guarantee you are working 3 times harder than you have to. I can also be pretty darned certain you are not making anywhere near the money you should be. You know this is true.
Often times, we're so busy chasing after new prospects we forget it is far more profitable if we let them come to us. Sure we cannot just sit and wait for them to show up, but we've got to make it super easy for the ones who need us...to find us.
When their equipment is broken, and needs repair or replacement, there is but a small window of opportunity. And when that window opens up we better be the voice they hear shouting in their heads.
That has been the major point of this 3 part series. Getting yourself noticed.
But more than that. Just as every child knows he should go to a policeman when he is lost or needs help, every person in your town should know that he must come to you for help with his office equipment. There should be no question in his mind whatsoever.
You understand that. When I recommend technicians should be serving as ambassadors and not just fixers. Your head nods "yes" when I show you how important it is to copy the successful folks at UPS and FedEx by making your vehicles stand out.
Today you can get you company's name etched into the brains of your community by
adding these additional strategies:
I'm going back to the technicians for just a moment- because they are out there doing good deeds. People (customers) view them as non-threatening- they will open up and talk more easily with technicians. (With obvious salespeople, their guard tends to go up.) However, technicians are often shy to spread the good word. So to maximize their exposure and minimize their participation there are 2 simple strategies you can implement.
1. Uniforms. Just as UPS and FedEx drivers wear clothes that let the world know exactly who they represent, your company should be doing the same. Pants, shirt, and jackets for all seasons.
2. Case. This is where I make my case for recognition...literally! Every tech carries a toolcase, but I can never recall seeing a company name on one. Why the heck not?
What are we trying to hide? You can wrap them just like you could wrap a car or city bus. You could have them painted or you could have stickers made. In the case of the newer black nylon bags, you could have cloth patches sown on or have them custom embroidered. Now your tech's gonna stand out. Get noticed. In fact you could do the same for your salesperson's laptop bag. The more outrageously noticeable the better.
Well there you have it. If you don't like these ideas, hopefully I've jump-started your brain into thinking of how to get noticed. How to be on the mind of your community so that when an emergency or any relevant buying opportunity arises, you
are the one they call. When they need you...and they call you...now you're in the drivers seat on the road to maximum profits.
O'k...I teased you on the balloon thing. I'd really like to get feedback on this from those of you who are bold enough to try it. It goes like this:
Most of the time when you show up at a customer's office, you're fixing something that's broken or else your trying to take their money, ie. sell them something.
Both of these activities let a cloud of negativity float in the customer's mind.
It makes them not want to call you. Not want to see you there in their place.
However the one, most purely positive experience, comes when you deliver a brand- spank'n new piece of equipment. Everyone is happy! They have purchased that new machine with not only cold hard cash, but with the countless hours of frustration they invested in trying to get the old piece of junk to work.
Now, their relief has arrived!
It is the single best opportunity to play on their good feeling about you and your company.
(they must love you right now...they said so with their checkbook!)You have an opportunity to turn this one placement into many if you play your cards right. But so often we just send out the delivery guys in blue jeans who roll the machine in, drag out the old one and say, "sign here." Delivering machines is seen as a necessary evil, a burden.
Turn it around!
Make buying from you so much fun they want to do it again and again.
After all, there are only three ways to grow a business. 1. Increase the number of transaction you do (get more customers), 2. Increase the average size of the transactions (get them to buy more), or 3.Increase the frequency of transactions (get them to buy more often).
Oh, no! It's getting late. I Thought I could finish this but I can't tonight.
Tomorrow...I'll tell you exactly how you can use balloons at the time of delivery to
insure that your customer will buy from you more often. Plus, how you'll create such a buzz that all his friends and neighbors will be looking for you too!
Now Get Out There and Be Like the Toucan...get noticed!
If there is someone in your town who is in business and they don't know your company's name or what you do...I guarantee you are working 3 times harder than you have to. I can also be pretty darned certain you are not making anywhere near the money you should be. You know this is true.
Often times, we're so busy chasing after new prospects we forget it is far more profitable if we let them come to us. Sure we cannot just sit and wait for them to show up, but we've got to make it super easy for the ones who need us...to find us.
When their equipment is broken, and needs repair or replacement, there is but a small window of opportunity. And when that window opens up we better be the voice they hear shouting in their heads.
That has been the major point of this 3 part series. Getting yourself noticed.
But more than that. Just as every child knows he should go to a policeman when he is lost or needs help, every person in your town should know that he must come to you for help with his office equipment. There should be no question in his mind whatsoever.
You understand that. When I recommend technicians should be serving as ambassadors and not just fixers. Your head nods "yes" when I show you how important it is to copy the successful folks at UPS and FedEx by making your vehicles stand out.
Today you can get you company's name etched into the brains of your community by
adding these additional strategies:
I'm going back to the technicians for just a moment- because they are out there doing good deeds. People (customers) view them as non-threatening- they will open up and talk more easily with technicians. (With obvious salespeople, their guard tends to go up.) However, technicians are often shy to spread the good word. So to maximize their exposure and minimize their participation there are 2 simple strategies you can implement.
1. Uniforms. Just as UPS and FedEx drivers wear clothes that let the world know exactly who they represent, your company should be doing the same. Pants, shirt, and jackets for all seasons.
2. Case. This is where I make my case for recognition...literally! Every tech carries a toolcase, but I can never recall seeing a company name on one. Why the heck not?
What are we trying to hide? You can wrap them just like you could wrap a car or city bus. You could have them painted or you could have stickers made. In the case of the newer black nylon bags, you could have cloth patches sown on or have them custom embroidered. Now your tech's gonna stand out. Get noticed. In fact you could do the same for your salesperson's laptop bag. The more outrageously noticeable the better.
Well there you have it. If you don't like these ideas, hopefully I've jump-started your brain into thinking of how to get noticed. How to be on the mind of your community so that when an emergency or any relevant buying opportunity arises, you
are the one they call. When they need you...and they call you...now you're in the drivers seat on the road to maximum profits.
O'k...I teased you on the balloon thing. I'd really like to get feedback on this from those of you who are bold enough to try it. It goes like this:
Most of the time when you show up at a customer's office, you're fixing something that's broken or else your trying to take their money, ie. sell them something.
Both of these activities let a cloud of negativity float in the customer's mind.
It makes them not want to call you. Not want to see you there in their place.
However the one, most purely positive experience, comes when you deliver a brand- spank'n new piece of equipment. Everyone is happy! They have purchased that new machine with not only cold hard cash, but with the countless hours of frustration they invested in trying to get the old piece of junk to work.
Now, their relief has arrived!
It is the single best opportunity to play on their good feeling about you and your company.
(they must love you right now...they said so with their checkbook!)You have an opportunity to turn this one placement into many if you play your cards right. But so often we just send out the delivery guys in blue jeans who roll the machine in, drag out the old one and say, "sign here." Delivering machines is seen as a necessary evil, a burden.
Turn it around!
Make buying from you so much fun they want to do it again and again.
After all, there are only three ways to grow a business. 1. Increase the number of transaction you do (get more customers), 2. Increase the average size of the transactions (get them to buy more), or 3.Increase the frequency of transactions (get them to buy more often).
Oh, no! It's getting late. I Thought I could finish this but I can't tonight.
Tomorrow...I'll tell you exactly how you can use balloons at the time of delivery to
insure that your customer will buy from you more often. Plus, how you'll create such a buzz that all his friends and neighbors will be looking for you too!
Now Get Out There and Be Like the Toucan...get noticed!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Drives Customers to Your Business...for just pennies a day!
Part 2 of Cards - Cars - Cases
Stop Letting Your Team Run Around Naked!
Imagine your field service personnel and your sales force driving all around town. Every single day they log hundreds and hundreds of miles. They drive past and park near probably hundreds of people.
Yet they're invisible.
Picture another scene. This one has big brown trucks delivering packages along side white trucks with big purple and orange letters...also delivering packages.
If my company needs to ship a package, instantly two choices come to my head. UPS and FedEx. Isn't that funny? Yet if I need to buy a new photocopier/printer/fax machine, I've got to get out the telephone book. There I just might find your company's name listed alongside 10-15 of your competitors. It's a crap shoot whether or not I'll call you. And if I do, you can bet I'll call 2 or 3 others as well for comparison.
How much better it would be, if when they thought of office equipment, your company's name was instantly on their mind. You can easily move so many steps closer to that kind of strategic positioning when you take 3 simple steps toward making your outside team highly visible...even to the point of extreme visibility.
Did you know you can wrap just about anything in advertising these days? You can wrap every vehicle your company uses just like the city buses that drive through town.
Your delivery vans, your trucks, your company cars, your employee's cars (with their permission and perhaps compensation of course!). How visible could you become if you chose a theme that fit your business and wrapped like crazy?
Perhaps you're not ready for such a bold move yet? Well, you can have the local quick sign shop create 2 magnet signs for each car and truck in your fleet. It might cost you a $100ea.. Slap them on when your team is on the road. You might even slip your people a little extra if they will keep them on their cars during the evenings or weekends. If you already provide company cars, you want to get the most value for them...they should become your mobile billboards.
As you read the first 5 paragraphs, the advantages of being highly visible became crystal clear. The only question is, going forward, how will you use every possible advantage to get customers to call you? How will you drive them to your business?
Vehicle advertising is easy to do, can be done inexpensively and is very cost effective. It's time your name becomes the one that pops into the brain of the customer who needs you. Instantly!
Tomorrow:
Part 3: Making A Case For Recognition
(and an intro to balloons)
Stop Letting Your Team Run Around Naked!
Imagine your field service personnel and your sales force driving all around town. Every single day they log hundreds and hundreds of miles. They drive past and park near probably hundreds of people.
Yet they're invisible.
Picture another scene. This one has big brown trucks delivering packages along side white trucks with big purple and orange letters...also delivering packages.
If my company needs to ship a package, instantly two choices come to my head. UPS and FedEx. Isn't that funny? Yet if I need to buy a new photocopier/printer/fax machine, I've got to get out the telephone book. There I just might find your company's name listed alongside 10-15 of your competitors. It's a crap shoot whether or not I'll call you. And if I do, you can bet I'll call 2 or 3 others as well for comparison.
How much better it would be, if when they thought of office equipment, your company's name was instantly on their mind. You can easily move so many steps closer to that kind of strategic positioning when you take 3 simple steps toward making your outside team highly visible...even to the point of extreme visibility.
Did you know you can wrap just about anything in advertising these days? You can wrap every vehicle your company uses just like the city buses that drive through town.
Your delivery vans, your trucks, your company cars, your employee's cars (with their permission and perhaps compensation of course!). How visible could you become if you chose a theme that fit your business and wrapped like crazy?
Perhaps you're not ready for such a bold move yet? Well, you can have the local quick sign shop create 2 magnet signs for each car and truck in your fleet. It might cost you a $100ea.. Slap them on when your team is on the road. You might even slip your people a little extra if they will keep them on their cars during the evenings or weekends. If you already provide company cars, you want to get the most value for them...they should become your mobile billboards.
As you read the first 5 paragraphs, the advantages of being highly visible became crystal clear. The only question is, going forward, how will you use every possible advantage to get customers to call you? How will you drive them to your business?
Vehicle advertising is easy to do, can be done inexpensively and is very cost effective. It's time your name becomes the one that pops into the brain of the customer who needs you. Instantly!
Tomorrow:
Part 3: Making A Case For Recognition
(and an intro to balloons)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Superman Needs To Hide His Identity, Do You?
Part 1 of Cards - Cars - Cases
Simple Strategy Nets 47 Warm Prospects Every Week
Everyone understands by now that success and sales is a numbers game.
The more people who know about our company, the more people we cold call,
talk to and get in front of on demos, the more we sell.
The problem I see very often is that all of this talking to people thing
is piled squarely on the shoulders of only the sales people. And in today's world,
where people are inundated with ads and pitches all day long, it's very
difficult for the sales professional to be heard above all the other noise.
Solution: There are so many other creative ways to get your message out there.
Rather than relying on just your sales force, try out these simple yet powerful
marketing avenues that remain untapped (at least in my town...which is great for me!) so please, don't tell anyone else about this stuff!
Cards:Business Cards
Typically, technicians are given business cards when they start. However, most of the time they never leave the box they came in. Maybe a tech will leave one when he calls on a customer who was not in when he arrived to perform the service that they called for. But that's just about the only time.
Ideally, every tech would have a card listing all the sales and service functions your company provides. It should also list some reason why the person who gets your card should call you NOW!. (for a new customer discount, to get a newsletter or special report, to get a gift card for future purchase, to be directed to a website promo, etc.) Unless they can get something right now for free, chances are your card
will get lost forever and you will have missed a great opportunity.
If each tech then gave away one or two cards to current customers who aren't familiar with every service your company provides (with turn-over, you'd be surprised how many customers know very little about you, or wear blinders and see your company as one dimensional (ie. you fix copiers, or service printers, or repair fax machines)).
You can potentially double or triple the amount of business you do each year by having the technicians pass out business cards which contain an immediately redeemable benefit for the recipient.
Plus if they just stopped at two other offices when they are in a complex and introduced a new customer -think of how easily your business could expand. It would take no time to do this. A simple dialog, "Hello, I was in the building helping one of your neighbors, (name them), and I just wanted to offer our services to you if you are ever in need. (it makes the customer wonder, hopefully ask, "What do you do?" which is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and offer your card, saying,
"You can keep my card for future reference".
5 service calls/day x 2 cards left x 5 days/wk = 50 new prospects reached each week
O'k, maybe he can't do two each time, so say he only leaves 47. That's 47 new prospect you reached each week at virtually no cost. Over 2500 warm new prospects each year...how would you like to play those number games?
Even if they gave their card to the same prospect several times per year...do you think repetition would hurt or reinforce your company's name? How many new customers /sales would you expect to get from 2500+ prospects? 10? 25? 50? 100?
Could you increase your conversion if your tech gave you the name of the place where he dropped his card? Maybe it's simple for him because while he's there he picks up one of their business cards. Or he jots the names down on his service call slip or mileage expense sheet so that sales could follow up. Sales calls to say" Hello, one of my service technicians told me you were a neighbor to one of my good customers,
(name names) and that you might also benefit from the service we provide...etc., etc..
Yes, yes, I know...techs will resist. It will then be up to you depending on your style...will you motivate them with the carrot...or the stick?
I'm partial to the carrot (because I myself am motivated by the $$$) and am more than happy to share the pie with those who bring results...but if you're the leader, for heavens sake lead! If you're the boss, boss. Get it done and get out the whiners.
Tomorrow: Part 2 The Car That Drives Customers to Your Business...for just pennies a day!
Simple Strategy Nets 47 Warm Prospects Every Week
Everyone understands by now that success and sales is a numbers game.
The more people who know about our company, the more people we cold call,
talk to and get in front of on demos, the more we sell.
The problem I see very often is that all of this talking to people thing
is piled squarely on the shoulders of only the sales people. And in today's world,
where people are inundated with ads and pitches all day long, it's very
difficult for the sales professional to be heard above all the other noise.
Solution: There are so many other creative ways to get your message out there.
Rather than relying on just your sales force, try out these simple yet powerful
marketing avenues that remain untapped (at least in my town...which is great for me!) so please, don't tell anyone else about this stuff!
Cards:Business Cards
Typically, technicians are given business cards when they start. However, most of the time they never leave the box they came in. Maybe a tech will leave one when he calls on a customer who was not in when he arrived to perform the service that they called for. But that's just about the only time.
Ideally, every tech would have a card listing all the sales and service functions your company provides. It should also list some reason why the person who gets your card should call you NOW!. (for a new customer discount, to get a newsletter or special report, to get a gift card for future purchase, to be directed to a website promo, etc.) Unless they can get something right now for free, chances are your card
will get lost forever and you will have missed a great opportunity.
If each tech then gave away one or two cards to current customers who aren't familiar with every service your company provides (with turn-over, you'd be surprised how many customers know very little about you, or wear blinders and see your company as one dimensional (ie. you fix copiers, or service printers, or repair fax machines)).
You can potentially double or triple the amount of business you do each year by having the technicians pass out business cards which contain an immediately redeemable benefit for the recipient.
Plus if they just stopped at two other offices when they are in a complex and introduced a new customer -think of how easily your business could expand. It would take no time to do this. A simple dialog, "Hello, I was in the building helping one of your neighbors, (name them), and I just wanted to offer our services to you if you are ever in need. (it makes the customer wonder, hopefully ask, "What do you do?" which is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and offer your card, saying,
"You can keep my card for future reference".
5 service calls/day x 2 cards left x 5 days/wk = 50 new prospects reached each week
O'k, maybe he can't do two each time, so say he only leaves 47. That's 47 new prospect you reached each week at virtually no cost. Over 2500 warm new prospects each year...how would you like to play those number games?
Even if they gave their card to the same prospect several times per year...do you think repetition would hurt or reinforce your company's name? How many new customers /sales would you expect to get from 2500+ prospects? 10? 25? 50? 100?
Could you increase your conversion if your tech gave you the name of the place where he dropped his card? Maybe it's simple for him because while he's there he picks up one of their business cards. Or he jots the names down on his service call slip or mileage expense sheet so that sales could follow up. Sales calls to say" Hello, one of my service technicians told me you were a neighbor to one of my good customers,
(name names) and that you might also benefit from the service we provide...etc., etc..
Yes, yes, I know...techs will resist. It will then be up to you depending on your style...will you motivate them with the carrot...or the stick?
I'm partial to the carrot (because I myself am motivated by the $$$) and am more than happy to share the pie with those who bring results...but if you're the leader, for heavens sake lead! If you're the boss, boss. Get it done and get out the whiners.
Tomorrow: Part 2 The Car That Drives Customers to Your Business...for just pennies a day!
Monday, April 23, 2007
The One Thing You Should NEVER Throw Away
The One Thing You Should Never Throw Away...I got $375 for Mine!
Just imagine, if they were people, we would compare their retirement to the most
horrific and most tortured slow deaths. Left for dead in a cold, isolated room. Their silence
unpredictably and unceremoniously interrupted only by the sounds of their own
violent and careless disassembly.
Such is the fate of the copier that got too old.
A rather unseemly end to it's hard-working existence. One which might have produced
research papers communicating new medical breakthroughs, or perhaps it
built the foundational papers that educated our children. Or maybe it was privy to
the duplication of the latest office gossip...or occasional rude joke.
Now after hundreds of thousands, or even millions of copies, the trade-in gets
banished to the copier graveyard. Most often a liability for the space it takes up.
But occasionally it proves some value for the remaining good parts which can be
harvested -to service machines which have not yet been retired.
You reduce your spending and this liability now becomes a positive contributor
to the bottom line.
But at some point, once the "bones" have been picked clean, a proper burial
is in order. It's time to move it out of your life...off to the great landfill down the road.
But before you put it in the dumpster, (and perhaps long before that) don't make
the same costly mistake that so many others do (I used too). Whatever you do, don't throw
away the circuit boards until you check out their value at the source I will tell you
about.
You understand this. Many times a machine will be condemned because of the
fact it has an expensive PWB (circuit board) that needs repair. Often this can
run into several hundred dollars...and the machine just isn't worth it. So we
tell the customer it's time to upgrade - it just makes good financial sense -
for everyone. The machine gets traded in and rolled into the warehouse until we use up
all the remaining good mechanical parts and then we toss it.
What many don't know (and I just found out this year) is that there is a
board repair company which will actually buy these used boards from you.
Yes...they will give you cash for your board...working or NOT!
Here's why...We dealers demand fast turn-around times. Actually, since
board repairs will usually mean down time for our customers, we want the board
repaired BEFORE we even send it. That need created the Advance Exchange Programs
that are so popular. They will send us another board, already repaired
and then we will send them our broken one in exchange (which they will then fix and
send out to the next guy). It's a great program.
But sometimes they do not have enough boards on hand to do this.
Hence the reason they will buy popular (the most frequently requested and
hardest to find) boards from you.
It's like found money! A treasure chest just waiting for you right in your own
warehouse. It can literally be another profit center for you.
Think of all the money you just threw away by not taking a customer's
trade in. Think of all the money you tossed into the dumpster because
you never knew such a company existed.
Think of all the money you can now make picking up other people's junk!
Here's how easy they made it:
1.Fax (or email) a list of the boards you have (part numbers help, but you can
even just use the machine model and describe the board's function)
2. Request a price quote
3. They send you a quote and you decide if it's worth your time and trouble
I got $375 last week for just dragging three old boards off the shelf, putting
them in a box, and shipping them out UPS!
You can bet I'll be in the warehouse tomorrow making a list of all the boards
I know I won't ever use. How about you?
If you'd like to know more about this company and it's great program, just
drop me an email. I'll get the exact contact info right over to you.
send it to: robert@knowcopying.com
...write Dollars for Boards in the subject line
Tomorrow: If You're Invisible, Why The Heck Are You In Business?
3 Great New Ways To Stand Out Like A Toucan!
Just imagine, if they were people, we would compare their retirement to the most
horrific and most tortured slow deaths. Left for dead in a cold, isolated room. Their silence
unpredictably and unceremoniously interrupted only by the sounds of their own
violent and careless disassembly.
Such is the fate of the copier that got too old.
A rather unseemly end to it's hard-working existence. One which might have produced
research papers communicating new medical breakthroughs, or perhaps it
built the foundational papers that educated our children. Or maybe it was privy to
the duplication of the latest office gossip...or occasional rude joke.
Now after hundreds of thousands, or even millions of copies, the trade-in gets
banished to the copier graveyard. Most often a liability for the space it takes up.
But occasionally it proves some value for the remaining good parts which can be
harvested -to service machines which have not yet been retired.
You reduce your spending and this liability now becomes a positive contributor
to the bottom line.
But at some point, once the "bones" have been picked clean, a proper burial
is in order. It's time to move it out of your life...off to the great landfill down the road.
But before you put it in the dumpster, (and perhaps long before that) don't make
the same costly mistake that so many others do (I used too). Whatever you do, don't throw
away the circuit boards until you check out their value at the source I will tell you
about.
You understand this. Many times a machine will be condemned because of the
fact it has an expensive PWB (circuit board) that needs repair. Often this can
run into several hundred dollars...and the machine just isn't worth it. So we
tell the customer it's time to upgrade - it just makes good financial sense -
for everyone. The machine gets traded in and rolled into the warehouse until we use up
all the remaining good mechanical parts and then we toss it.
What many don't know (and I just found out this year) is that there is a
board repair company which will actually buy these used boards from you.
Yes...they will give you cash for your board...working or NOT!
Here's why...We dealers demand fast turn-around times. Actually, since
board repairs will usually mean down time for our customers, we want the board
repaired BEFORE we even send it. That need created the Advance Exchange Programs
that are so popular. They will send us another board, already repaired
and then we will send them our broken one in exchange (which they will then fix and
send out to the next guy). It's a great program.
But sometimes they do not have enough boards on hand to do this.
Hence the reason they will buy popular (the most frequently requested and
hardest to find) boards from you.
It's like found money! A treasure chest just waiting for you right in your own
warehouse. It can literally be another profit center for you.
Think of all the money you just threw away by not taking a customer's
trade in. Think of all the money you tossed into the dumpster because
you never knew such a company existed.
Think of all the money you can now make picking up other people's junk!
Here's how easy they made it:
1.Fax (or email) a list of the boards you have (part numbers help, but you can
even just use the machine model and describe the board's function)
2. Request a price quote
3. They send you a quote and you decide if it's worth your time and trouble
I got $375 last week for just dragging three old boards off the shelf, putting
them in a box, and shipping them out UPS!
You can bet I'll be in the warehouse tomorrow making a list of all the boards
I know I won't ever use. How about you?
If you'd like to know more about this company and it's great program, just
drop me an email. I'll get the exact contact info right over to you.
send it to: robert@knowcopying.com
...write Dollars for Boards in the subject line
Tomorrow: If You're Invisible, Why The Heck Are You In Business?
3 Great New Ways To Stand Out Like A Toucan!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Turning America's Love For Green Into Cash
It's been said that the surest way to make money is to align yourself with the trends.
With that said, as the sun sets on Earth Day 2007, I find myself wondering just how many copier dealers have chosen to romance (ie. exploit) America's love affair with the "GREEN" movement.
Very few I would suspect. And that's both good news and bad.
It's good news for the dealer who steps up and positions his or her dealership as the town's premier (and only) dealer in support of all things environmentally friendly.
Finally, a unique selling proposition that doesn't involve being the dealer with the lowest prices. Finally, here is a position where it is actually a little easier to convince the customer to pay a little more because doing things in a "GREEN" way is actually a little more costly, but certainly worthwhile to save our country.
However, all the leverage in this strategy goes to the dealer who makes the claim first. "Me too" just doesn't cut it.
Coors was the first I believe to use a similar tactic in it's beer commercials. Struggling to find a unique sales position among all the brewers of the time (who essentially made all the same products with the same ingredients) Coors decided it should proclaim that it used the finest pure mountain spring water. It was a hit! That one simple claim saw sales of Coors beer skyrocket past the other larger and older brewers. What most consumers were not aware of was that all the other brewers also used the finest pure mountain spring water...they just had never thought it was important to tell everyone. Well, it wasn't... until Coors did. Then they were all left needing to shout "Me too". But it was too late.
Right now America loves "GREEN". Most dealership have been operating GREEN for years but not telling anyone. Why not? Well, up until now it really wasn't an exploitable trend.
Now- right now while Earth Day is still on everyone's mind- you should be pulling out all the stops and trumpeting your company's GREEN song all throughout the land. In case even you don't know what's GREEN here's a short list to draw in your focus:
1. You rebuild copiers and printers for resale saving valuable landfill space.
2. You harvest the good parts from old machines to repair and rebuild... again saving landfill
space while reducing the need to manufacture and ship brand new parts.
3. You re-use the packing materials from goods delivered to you for use in the packaged
supplies you send out to your customers.
4. You rebuild and refill used toner and imaging cartridges for reuse. You use a cartridge
return and exchange program to keep costs low and landfill waste down.
5. You save hundreds of gallons of gasoline every year by efficiently routing your technicians.
6. You utilize the telephone as much as possible to cut down on the driving your sales people
must do to meet the needs of your customer base.
7. You optimize the Energy Saver features on all your customer's machines...saving them
money while conserving our nations power resources.
8. Your technicians use only environmentally friendly solvents in maintaining machines.
9. Your technicians utilize vacuum cleaners with micro-particle filtration to prevent the escape
of toner and dust particles into the air.
10. You recycle all of the waste paper generated in your office plus whatever comes from testing
machines prior to delivery.
Well there are just a few ideas you can use to proclaim yourself the King of Green in your town.
Make all the other dealers play catch-up. But the key is...you gotta be the first to call it!
If you're not the leader the view never changes...and that's bad.
Let's get busy now!
Bob
With that said, as the sun sets on Earth Day 2007, I find myself wondering just how many copier dealers have chosen to romance (ie. exploit) America's love affair with the "GREEN" movement.
Very few I would suspect. And that's both good news and bad.
It's good news for the dealer who steps up and positions his or her dealership as the town's premier (and only) dealer in support of all things environmentally friendly.
Finally, a unique selling proposition that doesn't involve being the dealer with the lowest prices. Finally, here is a position where it is actually a little easier to convince the customer to pay a little more because doing things in a "GREEN" way is actually a little more costly, but certainly worthwhile to save our country.
However, all the leverage in this strategy goes to the dealer who makes the claim first. "Me too" just doesn't cut it.
Coors was the first I believe to use a similar tactic in it's beer commercials. Struggling to find a unique sales position among all the brewers of the time (who essentially made all the same products with the same ingredients) Coors decided it should proclaim that it used the finest pure mountain spring water. It was a hit! That one simple claim saw sales of Coors beer skyrocket past the other larger and older brewers. What most consumers were not aware of was that all the other brewers also used the finest pure mountain spring water...they just had never thought it was important to tell everyone. Well, it wasn't... until Coors did. Then they were all left needing to shout "Me too". But it was too late.
Right now America loves "GREEN". Most dealership have been operating GREEN for years but not telling anyone. Why not? Well, up until now it really wasn't an exploitable trend.
Now- right now while Earth Day is still on everyone's mind- you should be pulling out all the stops and trumpeting your company's GREEN song all throughout the land. In case even you don't know what's GREEN here's a short list to draw in your focus:
1. You rebuild copiers and printers for resale saving valuable landfill space.
2. You harvest the good parts from old machines to repair and rebuild... again saving landfill
space while reducing the need to manufacture and ship brand new parts.
3. You re-use the packing materials from goods delivered to you for use in the packaged
supplies you send out to your customers.
4. You rebuild and refill used toner and imaging cartridges for reuse. You use a cartridge
return and exchange program to keep costs low and landfill waste down.
5. You save hundreds of gallons of gasoline every year by efficiently routing your technicians.
6. You utilize the telephone as much as possible to cut down on the driving your sales people
must do to meet the needs of your customer base.
7. You optimize the Energy Saver features on all your customer's machines...saving them
money while conserving our nations power resources.
8. Your technicians use only environmentally friendly solvents in maintaining machines.
9. Your technicians utilize vacuum cleaners with micro-particle filtration to prevent the escape
of toner and dust particles into the air.
10. You recycle all of the waste paper generated in your office plus whatever comes from testing
machines prior to delivery.
Well there are just a few ideas you can use to proclaim yourself the King of Green in your town.
Make all the other dealers play catch-up. But the key is...you gotta be the first to call it!
If you're not the leader the view never changes...and that's bad.
Let's get busy now!
Bob
Here We Go Folks....
Welcome to all who have found your way here! I am truly honored that within the vast cyberspace which exists today you have come to spend a brief moment or two with me.
If you do not know me (yet) my name is Robert Michael. I have been involved in the
office equipment industry for nearly a quarter of a century now. From my humble
beginnings as a field service technician, then to service manager, to business owner...then to copywriting and marketing consultant... I have been educated by masters in many areas of business expertise...earning an honorary PhD(if only in the school of hard knocks).
Currently, I share my vast knowledge and expertise by writing copy that gets customers to ring your phones louder than a church bell on Sunday. I've helped
market real estate, home improvement services, office equipment sales and service and recently even helped a Chinese gemstone company to successfully market over $60,000 worth of virtually unknown gemstones in one weekend...using only free publicity!
Some pay big-time for my services now, but here on this blog you can receive a generous portion of the knowledge I paid so dearly for...for FREE!
It's my way of giving back to all those who helped me along the way.
No Copying! It's what we all learned in school. But what better way to set us all up for failure. If I have learned anything in life it's that in order to succeed, we must copy the actions (not the materials!) of those who have already succeeded.
I have had great success in the office copier business. I know copying.
So here at this site I will share what I know with you in the hopes that you can know what actions to copy...and which to avoid like the plague.
I will strive always to respect your time by giving only the most relevant, profitable and actionable advice.
I hope that since this is my first attempt at "blogging", you will not judge me too
harshly during these first few posts. I guarantee that if you'll stay with me, the
content will certainly exceed your expectation...so check back often...everyday if
you can!
Here's to your success! May the information you find here be your bridge across the chasm that separates you from the massive profits you so richly deserve.
If you do not know me (yet) my name is Robert Michael. I have been involved in the
office equipment industry for nearly a quarter of a century now. From my humble
beginnings as a field service technician, then to service manager, to business owner...then to copywriting and marketing consultant... I have been educated by masters in many areas of business expertise...earning an honorary PhD(if only in the school of hard knocks).
Currently, I share my vast knowledge and expertise by writing copy that gets customers to ring your phones louder than a church bell on Sunday. I've helped
market real estate, home improvement services, office equipment sales and service and recently even helped a Chinese gemstone company to successfully market over $60,000 worth of virtually unknown gemstones in one weekend...using only free publicity!
Some pay big-time for my services now, but here on this blog you can receive a generous portion of the knowledge I paid so dearly for...for FREE!
It's my way of giving back to all those who helped me along the way.
No Copying! It's what we all learned in school. But what better way to set us all up for failure. If I have learned anything in life it's that in order to succeed, we must copy the actions (not the materials!) of those who have already succeeded.
I have had great success in the office copier business. I know copying.
So here at this site I will share what I know with you in the hopes that you can know what actions to copy...and which to avoid like the plague.
I will strive always to respect your time by giving only the most relevant, profitable and actionable advice.
I hope that since this is my first attempt at "blogging", you will not judge me too
harshly during these first few posts. I guarantee that if you'll stay with me, the
content will certainly exceed your expectation...so check back often...everyday if
you can!
Here's to your success! May the information you find here be your bridge across the chasm that separates you from the massive profits you so richly deserve.
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