Seeing the results of advertising your business can be like watching a roller coaster. The day you run your ad you see a flurry of activity; your ph0ne starts ringing, your web site traffic increases and/ or potential clients visit your store. Your hopes soar. sales go up. Two or three days pass and the response goes down. You look at the bill for the advertising and your jaw drops. Your hopes descend.
Nancy called me from Portland, Oregon with just this problem. Every time one of her ads appears in a local publication, customers start walking in the door of her home furnishing store. A few days later the number of prospects and sales goes down. Her advertising gets results, but the thousands of dollars she is paying each month is killing her profits. What can she do?
Whether you advertise your consulting business in The Harvard Business Review or your interior decorating service in the Penny Saver, your ad will cost significant dollars.
How can you make your advertising pay for itself?
How can you use advertising to create a STEADY stream of business?
Write Your Ad to Sell and To Generate Leads Of all the people who could benefit from your products and services, what percentage is likely to buy today? Hopefully a few, but the majority are more likely to need your services tomorrow, next week or next month.
Write your ad to prompt people to buy and if they're not interested in making a purchase, to contact you. When you write your ad:
1. Sell your products or services by selling your solution. 2. Prompt prospects to buy. Include a call to action. 3. Motivate prospects to give you their contact information.
For each person who responds to your ad and makes a purchase today, you should be able to get ten qualified prospects to contact you. Once you have their contact information, you can send them a regular email or postcard for far less than it would cost to run your ad on a weekly basis.
Follow Up On Your Advertising An ad can be the first step in marketing your products and services but unless you follow up, it may be the last. Its what you do after your ad runs that determines whether you're able to make it pay for itself in the days and months to come.
Let's say your ad works in getting people to visit your web site, call you or come into your store. What's the next step? How can you follow up to increase your sales?
1. Make sure you get their contact information so you can follow up.
2. Whether people stopped by your web site, left a ph0ne message, emailed you or visited your store Ð follow up promptly. Get back to them within the day, if not sooner. A prospect is most likely to buy or start a profitable relationship when he/she is looking for a solution. Let your leads linger and they'll go stale. If you wait prospects may contact other service providers or stores, and you've given them time to make their purchase through someone else.
3. Respond immediately. Use a ph0ne call or an email to let them know you understand the problem they want solved and that you can help them. Even a personalized autoresponder message will do the job.
4. Market to your in-house list of contacts. If you want people to remember you when they have a need and are ready to make a decision to buy, make sure they think of you as the solution provider. The best way to do this is to regularly provide ideas, tips and information that your prospects want.
5. Create opportunities for personal contact, whether through your print mailings, ezine or web site, you want to prompt prospects to contact you to discuss their needs and / or place their order. Ask them what they want, what they are looking for. When they send you an email, follow up with a call. Tell them how to contact you, how to schedule a personal conversation and then follow up with a call.
Advertising is an expensive ticket to marketing your products and services. Use these strategies to make sure you get your money's worth and you'll find your advertising paying for itself over and over. Instead of getting your thrills from watching your business go up and down, you'll find yourself enjoying the excitement of watching your profits steadily move up. - 2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up for the Free Marketing Plan eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts... Read More
TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on... Read More
A number of sales "Gurus" have promoted the theory that... Read More
Be clear about where you are now. Audit your strengths... Read More
The best way to get a new customer is to... Read More
That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive... Read More
Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months... Read More
This is a quandary not unlike the chicken or the... Read More
Sex, Drugs & Rock-n-RollHere's the Scenario...You're at a trade show.... Read More
A recent study of 2,663 sales organizations by Think Training,... Read More
What does it mean to be an "effective executive"? Well... Read More
Many recruiting ads and job descriptions include "knockout factors" that... Read More
Performance and behaviour management is by far the most difficult... Read More
Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by... Read More
Small to medium companies that want to increase sales or... Read More
Money is the only thing that motivates a salesperson, right?... Read More
I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in... Read More
You're a small company with a good product. You are... Read More
Snowflakes are beautiful!For the Winter Holiday sales season handcrafted snowflakes... Read More
Many people believe that the main reason for representatives leaving... Read More
I don't know about your business but in my experience... Read More
Recently, I was asked to spend some time on the... Read More
The objective of an incentive is to incite action within... Read More
An effective way to increase your profits and sales is... Read More
Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More
What are you and your company's services and products worth... Read More
How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon... Read More
A Highly Conscious Approach To Business Management. For more on... Read More
In 2000 a computer distributor hired me to help them... Read More
Good sales people can close, but few "step up" for... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission has rule that are supposedly in... Read More
It's a fact - the online world dies down in... Read More
The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Three of SeriesWe're sprinting... Read More
Performance and behaviour management is by far the most difficult... Read More
There are four primary activities that successful salespeople engage in... Read More
About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program... Read More
Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months... Read More
YIPPEE! Kendra won, or should I say, "She was hired,"... Read More
If your letter writing and phone calls have all failed... Read More
This is a quandary not unlike the chicken or the... Read More
Budget Guidelines for Trade Show MarketingB'techa didn't know - Trade... Read More
The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes... Read More
I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in... Read More
According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical... Read More
Sex, Drugs & Rock-n-RollHere's the Scenario...You're at a trade show.... Read More
How high is your sales trust factor?Is it higher than... Read More
Help your organization grow by assessing the right indicators in... Read More
I was in the depths of a major depression. As... Read More
TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on... Read More
The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Three of SeriesWe're sprinting... Read More
Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come... Read More
Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More
A recent study of 2,663 sales organizations by Think Training,... Read More
Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell... Read More
So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6... Read More
Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions... Read More
Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by... Read More
The best way to get a new customer is to... Read More
This article may be reprinted in its entirety with express... Read More
Increasing Sales by using Coupons. Will it help your business?... Read More
In today's competitive environment, every organization is trying to improve... Read More
You've heard this before: There were four people named Everybody,... Read More
In today's 24/7 driven business word, accountability is becoming a... Read More
Although I never met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau... Read More
Here's the Scenario...You're at a trade show. Out of town.... Read More
That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive... Read More
Sales Management |