Winston's e-Newsletter - July 2007
In Winston's e-newsletter this month:
The Loyalty Ladder: Turning Suspects into Evangelists! ...
How to get your web site making money ...
Another great television commercial ...
What's on my audio program for July? ...
Upgrading your or your team's sales skills ...
A thought to ponder ...
Update your Resume ...
An honest business card ...
Looking for a tree change? ...
Writing your own bio! ...
Amazing chalk drawings
The Loyalty Ladder: Turning Suspects into Evangelists!
It's critical that everybody in your organisation know about the loyalty ladder and understands how it helps to build better, more profitable business.
The first rung on the loyalty ladder is "suspect". Suspects are people within your sphere of influence; in other words, people in reasonable proximity to your business who could possibly have a need for your product or service but most certainly don't know about you. What you don't know is whether they are in the market now or in the near future for what you've got.
So you need to push them up to the next rung of the loyalty ladder to "prospect". Prospects are people who need or want what you have (and they are qualified prospects if they have the authority to make a purchase decision and can afford to pay for it). The way you turn suspects into prospects is through the traditional marketing approach. You can advertise for them, get them through effective promotion or attract them using public relations. There is another way that is even more important that people often overlook and that's word of mouth referral. If you're smart you'll get between 80 and 92% of your new prospects from word of mouth referrals.
Once your marketing proves effective you take your prospects to the next rung of the loyalty ladder and make them a "customers" Customers are people who purchase from you or use your services--- once. Now for most businesses this is where the whole process finishes--- sell them something, ignore them and never see them again. If you're doing that you are missing out on an avalanche of profits from your business and that is to get one-time customers to come back again and again.
By doing so you push them to the next rung and they become a "client". You see the difference between a customer and a client is that a client keeps on coming back. Your sacred mission in business, no matter what your business, what your product or your purchase cycle, is to turn one time buyers into repeat purchasers. Every member of the team should understand that really profitable business starts with getting people to come back.
If you do this well, by looking after them, staying in touch with them regularly and building the relationship they'll become a "friend" of your business. It's not unknown for friends to pop in and say "hello," send you a Christmas card or invite you to family or business functions. People on the friends rung are great because they start to influence other people to your business.
Some of them will climb to the next rung of the loyalty ladder and become an "advocate" and will actively refer people to your business. These are the people who generate word of mouth recommendations or third party endorsements. They are by far the most wonderful assets any business can have. (Remember, 80-92% of your business can come from this source.)
Its then but a small climb for them to reach the top rung of the loyalty ladder and become an "evangelist" who recommends your business as the first port of call to solve any problem--- whether you have the capability or not. They have the attitude that "if you don't know the answer you'll know somebody who does" and they believe other people should know about you too.
It's very simple to turn suspects into raving evangelists. All it requires is a recognition that it can be done, the will to do so and the system to make it happen. Most importantly it's a mindset… a mindset you and your team must have.
Once you have that mindset and you've got the systems and the committed team in place to help people climb the loyalty ladder then you will soon retire to your ultimate desirable destination… those wonderful beaches of the world where life is absolutely fantastic!
How to get your web site making real money
If you are getting lots of visitors to your web site and turning them into profitable customers and clients then you can skip the rest of this article... if not, read on. When my personal technology guru Terry Brock was out here from the United States a few weeks ago I sat down with him in the recording studio and we went through some very simple steps to turn any web site into a real money maker. The result is an easy to listen to, simple to understand CD that explains exactly what you can do with minimum effort and expense to get your web site really working for you. There are more details here.
Another great television commercial
I get to see hundreds of television commercials from around the world and this one for Pepsi has everything... good interesting story, a touch of humour and product memorability. Isn't amazing how many great (and expensive) commercials are made for both hard and soft drinks?
What's on my audio program for July?
Every month I produce a 60 minute audio program called "Business Marketing" that's chock-a-block full of great ideas, terrific tips and interesting interviews that you can use in your business to get you prematurely retired to the beaches of the world. Here's a brief overview of, and a sound grab from, this month's program.
Upgrading you or your team's sales skills
Wayne Berry, who heads up the Top Gun Sales Academy is probably one of the best in the world in training sales people to maximise their performance. Until recently you could only get Wayne's wisdom by attending one of his seminars. Now, if you've got a computer and a web connection, you can get one-on-one sales coaching from Wayne and his team whenever you like and regardless of where you are... from the comfort of your own home or office. Wayne explains all in this interview.
A thought to ponder
Remember, five years from now you'll be the same person you are today -- except for the people you meet, the situations you've encountered, the information you've taken on board and the thoughts you've thought. Keep your internal dialogue positive, upbeat, and future-oriented. No one is in a better position to be your biggest cheerleader than YOU!
Update your Résumé
What was the last time you updated your résumé? Probably years ago. If so, your résumé probably does not take advantage of web technology. If so, it's ancient history. So are you. First, a résumé is a sales tool. You are selling you.
If it's a variation of "I did this. Then I did that," it's boring. That's because it's all about you. A résumé needs to be about the employer's needs, as interpreted by a résumé-screener. The screener tosses out most résumés. He is looking for something unique something that says, "I'll not only fit in well, I'll make your company money."
Second, do you have a YouTube presentation of some kind? If not, produce one. It can be on anything useful that is related to your field. Make it 2-3 minutes. Make several. Post them. Be sure they end with your website's address.
You do have a website, right? The videos show that you are comfortable on-screen. You know something about the topic. The videos sell you indirectly. They say: "This person is ahead of the curve technologically, and is also well-informed on something." It also shows that you can speak coherently.
Post the "I did this, then that" section of your résumé on your website. Post it as a PDF. If the screener wants to read it, he can. This way, your one-page letter can focus on what you can do for the company. Give the address of the PDF at the end of the letter.
Mention the videos. Say that they are linked in the PDF of your career history. This way, the screener will see the PDF if he's interested in seeing the videos. To shorten the video address links use www.snipurl.com.
This article is reproduced from Gary North's Tip of the Week, June 16, 2007. Gary's newsletter is one I have subscribed to and read religiously. You can get on his mailing list here.
An honest business card
My business partner of 20 years or so, Peter Gosden, is slowly edging into retirement but hasn't by any means stopped making a 
contribution to the office activity. However, as in everything he does, he is scrupulously honest as his business card reveals.
Looking for a tree change?
Tree houses aren't just for kids anymore. Even if you're past the age where you need to ask permission for your best friend to sleep over, it's still okay to want to live in a tree-house. Free Spirit Spheres are made of two laminations of wood strips over laminated wood (with a waterproof frame so it can exist in any kind of weather), can sleep up to four, have a countertop stove, a sink, a refrigerator and also "complete plumbing". Made to be hung from trees, Free Spirit Spheres can also be placed on a cradle on the ground, and come ready assembled or DIY.
(From L.J. Hooker Evans Head epro Newsletter.)
Writing your own bio!
Its a great idea to have a bio to introduce yourself to people so that they know your talents and skills. However, it really is difficult to write coz its all about you but I've found a great way to do it is to people to choose 10-15 words from the Personal Qualities section of Words That Sell and then put them into a couple of sentences.
Here's some correspondence between a salesperson and myself that shows how to develop a good bio once you've chosen some words that reflect your qualities.
Hello Winston, The words I have chosen are the first ones that popped out at me without thinking too much about them. able people-orientated resourceful tenacious young valuable inventive creative competent enthusiastic serious professional bright So I've written this: Introducing Jill Brown, Widget Real Estate Co.'s newest member of the sales team. We are very excited to have such an able, resourceful, professional and competent person join our company. Jill has a inventive, professional, people-orientated and creative approach to real estate and is serious about customer service. Being bright, young and tenacious, Jill is going to take the industry by storm. |
G'day Jill! C'mon now! Tell a positive and alluringly truthful story about you and your talents. What you have written so far is just tossing those words into a sentence without demonstrating why you can use those words about you... in other words where's the proof? More importantly where's the real you and what you've done coming through. For example: Ever since she was knee high to a grasshopper Jill Brown has shown the tenacity and resourcefulness that culminated in her being the captain of the winning basketball team at school. Couple those characteristics with her bright, enthusiastic, people orientated approach that endeared her to hundreds of people as a customer service assistant in her previous role and its easy to see why she is fast becoming one of the most competent and professional sales people in the real estate industry. When she accepts a brief to market your home she will... ... |
Amazing chalk drawings
Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion. Absolutely incredible! View them here...
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