Display options

Attraction mechanisms

Booth conduct!

Million Cleaning Firm!

Only 120 Seats! Register Now!

Day I Agenda

Thursday May 13th

7:30 Registration

Only 120 Seats! Register Now!

Day II Agenda

Friday May 14th

Only 120 Seats! Register Now!

Day III Agenda

Saturday May 15th

Only 120 Seats! Register Now!

At my company, natural stone care is one of our most lucrative with job sizes that dwarf carpet cleaning. As wall to wall carpet in the home is shrinking, hard surface floors not only continue to emerge, but the floors that have been down for a few years need t be cared for properly. That’s where you come in!

Dane Greogory has an extensive background in the stone care industry. At this Round Table, Dane presents “Stone Rocks!”. In this session, you will learn how you can set up your own Stone Care System that will add phenomenal profits to your business. His presentation will include how to market your service, how to sell the service, and how to set up easy systems so that you can have a predictable, profitable, turn-key stone business!

Lou Holtz was amazing. He gave an acronym for winning that I thought was very cool and instructive for small business owners and professionals. His acronym for WIN is What’s Important Now. In coaching small business owners for over a decade, I have found that many times they don’t know where to focus their time. And if they have employees, what to have them focused on.

Many times people focus on the things that give them short-term satisfaction, things that they are passionate about (regardless of what is actually important now), and worse, what makes them feel powerful even if it means everything else is going down the tubes.

Even though your business is a vehicle to help you achieve your life goals, you must make sure it is strong so that it will take you where you want to go.

Every phenomenally successful business has to function well in 4 major areas, plus all the details that go with each area. I call these the 4 Pillars of a Phenomenally Successful Business(tm). The 4 Pillars are:

Pillar # 1 Marketing: Attracting the right kind of potential clients for your business.

Pillar # 2 Sales: Acquiring the right client for your business. This involves taking the lead, the phone call, the opt-in, whatever to the order.

Pillar # 3 Operations: Delivering on your promise. Delivering the service, delivering the product, serving the client and all that goes with that.

Pillar # 4: Administration: Tracking what actually happened. This includes accounting, tracking, etc.

So which of these areas do you focus on NOW? Everything is important, but if we try to focus on everything at once, we won’t get any traction.

Take this simple step:

If your service isn’t what it should be, then focus on Operations because it DOES NOT MATTER how many sales you make, you will get negative referrals.

The next step is “Do you have enough leads?” If no, EVERYTHING should be about marketing NOW.

Are you getting enough leads, but not CLOSING the sale? Many times business owners and professionals don’t realize how many opportunities they are missing. Letting calls go to voice mail, not following up quick enough or often enough can all hurt your business. Why do more marketing if you aren’t making the most of the calls you are getting?

Finally, there are lots of business owners that have enough business coming in and they are too busy to slow down and track what is actually happening. Administration is the least favorite of all for many business owners, but the fact is that you could be VERY busy and not make any money.

You want to get your tracking in order so that you can see what your ticket averages are, what your production averages are, what your closing rates are, and what your profit margin is.

A phenomenally successful business has 4 strong pillars. When one of the pillars is weak, just like any structure, it isn’t as valuable and as strong as it could be.

So, think about your business and determine what you need to focus on. Many times we need outside help to look in from the outside to get the clarity that we need. This is why I believe in coaching and consulting and why Phenomenal Products, Inc. was founded on Proverbs 15:22 “Without consultation plans are frustrated, but with many counselors plans succeed” (NASB).

I am so grateful for my DREAM TEAM. My God, my family, my members, and all of the coaches, consultants and mentors that have had a significant impact on my life.

So go find out how to WIN in 2010 today!

We call him “Mr. Systems” because everything in his company has a procedure. It is one of the most focused and organized small businesses that I know of. John’s company uses the Howard Partridge business building systems to the max. It works!

John is an amazing person and you will love him and you will learn a lot from him.

Keys to implementation

The # 1 reason most small business owners don’t grow is F.T.I. (Failure To Implement). You know what to do and you know how to do it, you just don’t do it. Sure, information is great because you can get “inspired to implement” by listening to a cd or going to a seminar. I know that my mental state is dramatically changed when I listen to Zig Ziglar’s stuff in the car. I can be a little discouraged, or just plain tired, and before you know it I’m laughing, encouraged and inspired again.

So, INSPIRATION is the first key. I call it “Inspiration to Implementation”. Have you ever noticed that people who are really growing and moving are inspired?

The second key is ORGANIZATION. Being enthusiastic is wonderful, but enthusiasm without direction is like spinning your wheels in the sand. You are exerting a lot of energy, but not getting much traction. Take some time each morning to work on your projects, get focused and run your business and career by a calendar.

Three is STRATEGY. You can be as inspired as you want, but if you are using the wrong strategy, it won’t work. For example, if you are trying to attract high end clients with a marketing strategy that is reaching low end prospects, it ain’t gonna work. Now this is an obvious example, but when was the last time you truly challenged your strategies to see if you are going about the things the right way?

And finally, the most important of all is SUPPORT. You must have people in your life that believe in you. You must have a community of people that can inspire you, challenge you and hold you accountable. No man is an island. We all need others looking into our lives and giving input. Of course your dream team needs to have people who have the right agenda and that have your best interest at heart, and they need to be competent.

Phenomenal Products was founded on Proverbs 15:22 that says “Without consultation plans are frustrated, but with many counselors plans succeed.”

Get involved with a group of people that you can share your goals and dreams with. People that are like-minded that will support you. You will be better for it. - HP

Support

Whether you do paid advertising or not, the words you use in promoting your business, introducing yourself and making a sales presentation, and of course when you write an ad, can make the all the difference.

Finding better “copy” to use in all of those situations will ultimately put you in a position to sell more of your product or service.

Notice that the title of this article doesn’t say “ad copy”. It simply says “copy”. The reason is that many of my members practice referral marketing, networking, and reach out to repeat clients, so they aren’t doing a ton of “paid advertising” and doing a ton of copy writing.

However, even if you don’t do a lot of “direct marketing” where copy writing can make or break the entire deal, copy is extrememly important in Relationship Marketing as well.

I came across a cool example of how effective copy can instantly make a sale.

I was sitting in traffic, a little early for my networking group that was just up the street, and I noticed a sign in front of an oil change place that read “LET US INSPECT YOU BEFORE THE COPS TICKET YOU” “DEC DUE”. I glanced over at my inspection sticker to realize it had expired last month! I immediately pulled into the place and had the inspection done right there and then.

Now, most places simply have a sign that says “State Inspection” out front. No sense of urgency, no good copy.

In addition to advertising copy, you use copy are communicating with prospects, clients, referral sources in a variety of different ways. Perhaps you have a brochure or free report that you hand to prospects. Hopefully you have a website. You introduce yourself at a networking group.

You make sales presentations.

And if you do direct advertising, you are KILLING yourself if you don’t understand ad copy. I see it all the time. Most of the advertising you see in all industries is bad. It doesn’t work. The blind are leading the blind.

So, whether you are writing an ad, a brochure, or a newsletter, follow these simple steps to start with. And be sure to continue your journey of  becoming a better copywriter.

Step 1: Write to Your Target Audience and Them ONLY!

Before you write anything, ask yourself “who am I trying to reach with this message?”. Basically there are 3 types of audiences…

1.    Suspect – Someone who fits your “Target Market” profile. Your “target market” is the type of customer or client you are after. Are they high end, middle, low? Commercial? Residential? Any specific niche industry? What is their lifestyle like? What are their problems? What are the solutions you can offer them? You see, if you try to be everything to everyone, you won’t be anything significant to anyone.

2.    Prospects – Someone who has expressed interest or had you give them a quote in the past.

3.    Client – Someone who has already used your service. (there are actually even  a couple of levels above “Client” or “Customer” - “Cheerleaders, Referral Sources, Members, or as Ken Blanchard calls them… “Advocates”).

The message will be different depending on your audience. For example, you have already broken through the “trust” barrier with your existing clients, so your messages to them will be different that someone who has never used your service. Sure, on an ongoing basis, you want to reinforce the trust they have placed in you. But what message is going to keep them coming back for more and telling others about you?

A prospect needs to know that you can be trusted and that you know what you are doing, so they are compelled to move forward with you. They need to know that you are the ONLY choice that makes sense. Your copy must compel that.

And Suspects must be moved up to Prospect. You need to get them to “raise their hand” so to speak to at least prove that they are interested in a service such as yours.

There are many ways to do this, so I won’t go into it in this article, but I think you get the idea.

Step 2: Understand Why People DO Things
There are only 2 reasons people will take extraordinary action…

1.They have to.  2.They want to.
1.Fear of Pain. 2.Hope of Gain.
1.To Avoid Pain. 2.To Get Gain.

The deadly assumption that small business owners make is that “people need my service, so I just need to get my name out there”. Just putting your shingle out doesn’t get it in today’s market. You have to convince them that they need you (and only you) or get them so excited that they want you (and only you).

In your copy, you have to show them the pain of not acting and share the hope of acting. You see, it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about a prospect responding to an offer, or an employee going the extra mile, or you getting off your butt to take your business to the next level… we only act if there is FEAR or HOPE. If we are comfortable, we don’t act.

So, get make your reader so uncomfortable that they feel they have to act, or get them so inspired that they want to act. How do you do that? With powerful compelling copy.

Step 3: Connect with why people use your service
For example, in the cleaning industry, we have identified 6 different reasons people clean. Sometimes, it is a combination of reasons. Your audience is not always aware of their reason or need, so you must create the awareness with your copy writing. For example, if a prospect thinks that they should only clean if there is visible soil, and doesn’t understand the health risks of “invisible soil”, you can raise that awareness in your copy.

Here are the 6 reasons people clean…
1.    Visible Soil – Obviously, the carpet, rug, floor, or fabric is soiled or stained.
2.    Events – Future events such as weddings, graduations, holidays, house guests, etc. This could also include past events such as a party that caused “visible  soiling”.
3.    Health – Carpet, floors and fabrics can hold harmful bacteria such as pet urine, mold, etc.
4.    Maintenance – For the floor or fabric to last longer, it should be maintained.
5.    Problem Solving – This would be a perceived “defect” such as “roll crush” or “pile distortion” that may be able to be solved with professional cleaning.
6.    Odor – Pet odors, cooking odors, etc.

Step 4: Understand the 4 Great MOTIVATORS

Veteran copywriter Herschell Lewis  stated in his book “Direct Mail Copy that Sells” that there are “four great motivators”. Although this book was written in 1990, I believe the same holds true today.

1.    Fear – This could be a fear that is already felt, or it could be a fear that is raised in your message. Example, if your copy suggests that your prospect should purchase carpet protector because the carpet may not perform as well as it would otherwise – and the soil that has bonded to the traffic areas will cause it to “ugly out”, you will raise a concern or a fear of having to spend money unexpectedly and a fear of not getting the most out of their investment. ** Note: The context of “fear” in this instance is not to use “scare-tactics” so that we can sell someone something they don’t need, but to simply allow them to feel what they need to feel to take the action they need to take.

2.    Exclusivity – Although this motivator works better for a Lexus than a carpet cleaner, it is still alive and well in our industry. Some clients feel “exclusive” because they have a carpet cleaner that not everyone can get (or afford). They may also feel “exclusive” because they are able to afford the luxury of  having these services provided. They may feel exclusive because your copy suggests that your special offer is an exclusive offer.

3.    Guilt – With effective copywriting, you can actually trigger the emotion of guilt if your reader begins to feel they are neglecting their investment or exposing their babies to harmful chemicals. Again, these are ugly emotions that we don’t want to just help create for the sake of it, but that fact is that if I feel a tinge “guilty” or concerned about something that I should feel that way about, perhaps I will take action for my own good.

4.    Greed – Isn’t it amazing that the word FREE works wonders in high income and low income alike. Unfortunately for the human race and fortunately for marketers, there is an element of greed in all of us.

CAUTION: Using these techniques carelessly is like handling a sharp knife. You can end up cutting yourself more than anything else, leaving a bloody mess!

Next week I will share a step-by-step process for “building” an effective message.