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Actual for You - Benefits: The Jedi's Secret Weapon
Contact management systems allow you to track which marketing techniques are working and which aren't. With an effective contact management system in place you can see at a glance how much time you are spending with leads and from which sources you are getting the best leads.A contact management system is like a mini Profit and Loss Statement. In it you track your activities and results for different marketing channels: referral marketing, seminars, direct mail, joint ventures, etc... For each lead source you should track the following type of information:How much time you spent How much money you spent How many paying clients it brought in How much revenue was generatedFrom this typ
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
<You’re on track to land your dream job. But can you afford it?Knowing how to handle the money question plagues job seekers. Especially if you’re exploring an opportunity that looks very promising.You don’t want to jinx the situation by prematurely asking about the salary. On the other hand, if they can’t afford you, you don’t want top waste your time pursuing a hopeless employment goal.Before you even go to an interview or first meeting with a decision-maker you MUST avoid the compensation pitfalls that can derail your good intentions. Here are the most serious mistakes to avoid.1. Failing to do your homework. Gather all employment and compensation information you can before you go on an i
Or would they?
I wouldn't bet on it. But don't allow that to keep you from recognizing the difference between Features and Benefits. Then you'd know exactly if you were hiring a genuine marketing expert—or a hack.
Here's the difference in a nutshell...
Anytime you talk about you, your company, your products, or your services: those are features. Anytime you mention what your prospect gets from you, your company, your products, or your services: those are benefits.
The hack will recite some story they memorized from a one-day marketing workshop they attended because they get a day off from the office. You've probably seen the promotions for those. The versatile trainer speaks about Diversity on Monday, Customer Service on Tuesday, Marketing on Wednesday, Sensitivity on Thursday, and has a hard time paying bills by Friday.
The expert transforms features into benefits, deeper benefits, and even ultimate benefits. Let's take a closer look...
Say you went to Home Depot to buy a drill bit. The problem is, when you were sleeping the night before, you weren't dreaming of buying a drill bit. What you really wanted was a hole in the wall.
The hole is the benefit. The drill bit is the feature.
But the drill bit distributors will disagree. They want to educate the public on how well their drill bits are built. How unique those tungsten carbide tips are. And why the shank sizes are important.
On the other hand, the consumer wants to know if she will be able to hang her Monet, put up shelves, or secure cabinets quickly. She's not interested in how long those tips last or that stunning drill bit chart on the manufacturer's website. She wants to know how she will benefit from buying those drill bits.
How does this serve you?
Take a look at your mailers, brochures, and websites. Anytime it mentions anything about you, your prospect is not interested. Anytime it mentions what they will get, they're interested.
Believe it or not—they're not concerned about your pretty graphics, corporate letterhead, or expensive logo. If you haven't addressed their wants, needs, and desires—you've lost them. They'll dismiss you like they have so many others.
As I'm writing this, I just received a voicemail for a free analysis of my phone system. They left their company name and phone number. I'm sorry, but that's not enough to get me excited about the analysis. Not even a free one. They haven't identified one benefit. They've wasted my time as well as theirs.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless you're in a government program. Even the offers for a free credit report are tied to some subscription deal.
What's happening today?
The dark side of the Force is dominating the war in the marketing empire. They employ mindless clones to get their messages across. Only a few thinking Jedis stand in their way.
If you want to become a Jedi marketer, you must master the Force. And resist the seductive dark side.
Resist the urge to brag about your company, your products, or your services. Show your prospect how you can solve their problem with what you offer. Paint the picture of what they'll get in your marketing promotions. Then you'll be on your way to becoming a Jedi.
Let's take a look from another angle...
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
Speedometers are commonly divided into mechanical or electronic types. A cable enclosing a rotating, flexible shaft is fixed to mechanical speedometers to furnish the input signal. The rotating shaft is coupled with a permanent magnet in the speedometer. It turns at a speed relative to that of the vehicle. Electromagnetic forces deliver the torque to ricochet the needle.At the time of calibration, the magnetization of the fixed magnet in the meter is altered until the exact deflection is acquired. An automated speedometer calibration technique includes a calibrated supplier to produce input signals for the speedometer. It also incorporates a sensing method to exactly establish the deflection of the needle, and en
The expert transforms features into benefits, deeper benefits, and even ultimate benefits. Let's take a closer look...
Say you went to Home Depot to buy a drill bit. The problem is, when you were sleeping the night before, you weren't dreaming of buying a drill bit. What you really wanted was a hole in the wall.
The hole is the benefit. The drill bit is the feature.
But the drill bit distributors will disagree. They want to educate the public on how well their drill bits are built. How unique those tungsten carbide tips are. And why the shank sizes are important.
On the other hand, the consumer wants to know if she will be able to hang her Monet, put up shelves, or secure cabinets quickly. She's not interested in how long those tips last or that stunning drill bit chart on the manufacturer's website. She wants to know how she will benefit from buying those drill bits.
How does this serve you?
Take a look at your mailers, brochures, and websites. Anytime it mentions anything about you, your prospect is not interested. Anytime it mentions what they will get, they're interested.
Believe it or not—they're not concerned about your pretty graphics, corporate letterhead, or expensive logo. If you haven't addressed their wants, needs, and desires—you've lost them. They'll dismiss you like they have so many others.
As I'm writing this, I just received a voicemail for a free analysis of my phone system. They left their company name and phone number. I'm sorry, but that's not enough to get me excited about the analysis. Not even a free one. They haven't identified one benefit. They've wasted my time as well as theirs.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless you're in a government program. Even the offers for a free credit report are tied to some subscription deal.
What's happening today?
The dark side of the Force is dominating the war in the marketing empire. They employ mindless clones to get their messages across. Only a few thinking Jedis stand in their way.
If you want to become a Jedi marketer, you must master the Force. And resist the seductive dark side.
Resist the urge to brag about your company, your products, or your services. Show your prospect how you can solve their problem with what you offer. Paint the picture of what they'll get in your marketing promotions. Then you'll be on your way to becoming a Jedi.
Let's take a look from another angle...
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
<An accountant once told me that he never met anyone who didn't want to make 30% more money. Whether you want a better lifestyle or to take more vacations, buy a fancy car, spend more time with your family, send your children to college or to give it all away, you could always use more money.If you sell services, your primary limitations on earnings are your costs and the number of hours in a week. Most independent professionals are already working well over 40 hours a week and can't work longer hours to increase earnings. Your goal should be to find ways to work less and increase your earnings. How can you market smarter and make more money?DON'T DISCOUNT YOUR SERVICESHave you ever heard of a l
How does this serve you?
Take a look at your mailers, brochures, and websites. Anytime it mentions anything about you, your prospect is not interested. Anytime it mentions what they will get, they're interested.
Believe it or not—they're not concerned about your pretty graphics, corporate letterhead, or expensive logo. If you haven't addressed their wants, needs, and desires—you've lost them. They'll dismiss you like they have so many others.
As I'm writing this, I just received a voicemail for a free analysis of my phone system. They left their company name and phone number. I'm sorry, but that's not enough to get me excited about the analysis. Not even a free one. They haven't identified one benefit. They've wasted my time as well as theirs.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless you're in a government program. Even the offers for a free credit report are tied to some subscription deal.
What's happening today?
The dark side of the Force is dominating the war in the marketing empire. They employ mindless clones to get their messages across. Only a few thinking Jedis stand in their way.
If you want to become a Jedi marketer, you must master the Force. And resist the seductive dark side.
Resist the urge to brag about your company, your products, or your services. Show your prospect how you can solve their problem with what you offer. Paint the picture of what they'll get in your marketing promotions. Then you'll be on your way to becoming a Jedi.
Let's take a look from another angle...
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
<Electronic fund transfers is a secure and efficient system that assists electronic payments and collections. However, EFT systems and securities may contain loopholes creating possibilities for EFT frauds. Over the years, EFT frauds have resulted in losses running into the millions.Fraud in an EFT occurs as a result of unauthorized instruction, alteration of the amount or name of the receiver, etc. A number of electronic funds transfer frauds have involved the direct interception or modification of electronic data messages transmitted from the computers of financial institutions. This revelation also confirms that offenders have most likely worked inside the concerned financial institutions and operated upon so cal
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless you're in a government program. Even the offers for a free credit report are tied to some subscription deal.
What's happening today?
The dark side of the Force is dominating the war in the marketing empire. They employ mindless clones to get their messages across. Only a few thinking Jedis stand in their way.
If you want to become a Jedi marketer, you must master the Force. And resist the seductive dark side.
Resist the urge to brag about your company, your products, or your services. Show your prospect how you can solve their problem with what you offer. Paint the picture of what they'll get in your marketing promotions. Then you'll be on your way to becoming a Jedi.
Let's take a look from another angle...
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
<It always seems to happen when you're in the most vulnerable spot. The worst possible situation, the worst possible place, The worst possible time. The sickening feeling goes through you; you know what is about to happen. You are out...the outcome is inevitable. You're stuck, in a jam. The situation is embarrassing. Your thoughts race. " How could I ever let this happen.? What will I tell others?" Your thoughts immediately begin to focus on recovery. How will you get out of this predicament?Out of gas? No such thing--you wish you were. You outsourced your parts overseas, you're out of a critical component, and you can't make delivery to a key customer. So, what do you do? You make something you don't need...
Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And read most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.
Am I being brutal?
Yes. Brutally honest...
Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide those features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.
Do they have it backwards?
No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.
Most marketing pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.
The consumer continues to scratch his head wondering when they will talk about what concerns him, what he wants, and what he gets.
The Star Wars Solution...
Here's how to grab more business than you've ever had: Lead with consumer benefits—follow with company features.
Instead of saying, "This house has vinyl windows," ... say, "You'll save money on energy and enjoy easy maintenance with vinyl windows."
The vinyl window is a feature. What your prospect gets from the vinyl window is a benefit. Now that was easy.
In your promotions, show them how they will benefit in your headline. Continue adding more benefits throughout your body copy supported by company features. Then close with features such as your contact information.
Lead with consumer benefits, support them with company features and you'll create a stronger pulling marketing piece, get more sales, and generate more leads. You'll also answer your prospect's favorite question, "What's in it for me?"
May the Force be with you.
Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy's Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today at www.TommyYan.com.
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