The
fact that it cuts my sales in half means that there is a dubious advantage
to it costing me virtually nothing. But, I really thought that the
speed of getting the information to the prospective customer should
have stimulated sales not cut them in half, right? It worked for Federal
Express. Why not for the Internet?
Here's
why
Point
1: When the prospect gets my web address, whether they visit my
site or not is in their hands, not mine. Whereas, if I send them a
printed catalog I know it at least gets to them -- God and the Post
Office willing.
Point
2: Even if the prospect gets to my website, when and how often
do they return? They have to remember to bookmark it -- strike 1.
Then they have to come across the bookmark -- strike 2. Then they
have to have the time and desire to want to visit it again -- strike
3. Why should they visit the site again? It's got the same thing it
had last time, doesn't it? Probably not.
Whereas,
if I send them a physical catalog through the mail, it's sitting there
somewhere constantly reminding them to either pick it up and read
it and/or order from it...or throw it away. If they throw it away,
chances are they weren't a good prospect for my books anyway. Online
they would have just not bookmarked my site.
If
they keep it around, it is a constant reminder to order something.
Online the bookmark is supposed to do the same thing but it could
be buried in some folder that never gets looked at. My physical catalog
is laying around somewhere as a constant reminder to do something
with it.
I've
had people call me YEARS after they've gotten my catalog and order
something. How do I know this? Because each of my catalogs and the
order form within is date coded. So, I can tell by the date code on
the order form just how old the catalog is. And believe me, I've gotten
orders from catalogs that are over 3 years old.
Part
of that is because it's a good catalog with great books in it. And
people know that someday they are going to want to get some of them.
So they hang on to them, eventually ordering one or more.
I
think this is a big part of the reason why my physical catalog does
better than my Internet site.
On
the Internet/Web there is no reminder other than the bookmark. And
it is very easy to bury the bookmark in a folder that you never look
at. You should see my bookmark file. That's one reason why people
who got my website catalog didn't order as much.
Another
is the fact that people on the Internet are just not as responsive
when they are there. Sure, they DO buy stuff but it is much harder
to make the sale. What with everyone giving things away free, there's
so much free stuff to wade through that the decision to buy is greatly
lessened. That's why the copy that is put on your web site has to
be exceptional to make the sale.
I
believe that you can engineer a site in such a way that you can stimulate
sales. But it is a very different animal than a catalog that just
sits there and physically reminds people to act.
There
are techniques that are exclusive to the Internet that you need to
know about. But these techniques without good copy and a good product
to sell are like having a high-performance sports car on a desert
island without gas and no roads to travel -- you don't get very far.
In
future issues we'll deal with the topics of copy and web techniques
that will bring lots of buyers to your site. I'll show you exactly
how it's done.
But
getting back to the dilemma physical versus web catalog...
So,
was the guy lying who said his web promotion did much better than
his mail promotion? Actually no. The problems was that he was comparing
apples to oranges. He compared his BAD, ineffective mail promotion
to his GOOD web promotion. How do I know this? Because I received
his mail promotion and I know exactly why it flopped. Remember, I'm
an expert in these matters.
It
had one very BIG flaw in it. He didn't give people enough time to
respond to his offer. By the time you got his offer in the mail, you
had the weekend to make your buying decision. That just isn't enough
time. He lost LOTS of sales because of it.
He
probably did this because he heard or read somewhere that deadlines
stimulate sales. And they do. But if the deadline is too short, they
do just the opposite. He never read that anywhere. But I can tell
you that, as one of his prospects, I seriously considered taking him
up on his offer until I encountered his unreasonable deadline. I felt
too rushed to make a decision. In fact, I felt offended that I was
so rushed to make my decision. So the decision I made was to NOT buy.
I know a lot of other people did the same thing.
If
you then take a look at his web promotion, there was no such unreasonable
deadline. Plus the offer was different. In fact there were enough
different things between the two that it would be pointless to make
a comparison. But I can tell you this: his conclusion is wrong. I'm
glad that his online promotion finally worked for him but what he
doesn't know is that he's leaving a ton of sales on the table by NOT
having a complementary offline marketing program.
If
he knew how to structure a proper offline marketing campaign, he could
triple his sales (remember, you get two sales offline for every one
online).
Nobody's
ever told you that one before.
So,
what is the point of all this?
The
point is that if you don't capture the physical address of your web
prospects,
You
are Losing a LOT of Sales.
I
find a lot of people making the decision to focus doing their business
on the net or not, either one or the other, not both.
I
think you need to do both. If you only do one or the other, you will
be losing sales. And eventually, someone (your competition?) will
figure it out. If they figure it out before you, you may find yourself
with a dwindling business and not know why.
I'm
sure the same thing happened when radio came out. Businesses took
their advertising to radio and dropped their newspaper ads. And when
television came along, they dropped their radio ads and moved them
to TV.
This
scared the hell out of the newspapers (and later the radio stations).
But each found it's niche and that's why we still have newspapers
and radio stations around, even though there are many reasons which
make TV a better medium than any of the others. Just as there are
many reasons which make the Internet a better medium than either TV,
radio, newspapers, magazines, or snail mail (as "netters" like to
call it).
Some
have predicted that the Internet will obsolete all these other mediums.
I predict it will not. Each has it's niche. It's up to you to find
out what that is and use it to the your best advantage.
Among
other things, this newsletter will help you figure that out.
Most
likely your best approach will be an integrated one where you use
whichever medium/media works for your marketplace.
In
the past a lot of businesses who refused to use a new medium went
by the wayside. Either because they didn't understand it or because
they were just too afraid to try something different.
But
the same is true for those who jumped, helter-skelter, into the new
medium and forgot about the tried and true stuff that still worked.
They abandoned what they thought were obsolete media and techniques
and paid the price.
The
ONE Constant in Advertising:
The
one thing that has never changed in all of advertising, regardless
of the medium, is COPY -- the words that make people notice what
you have to offer and respond with their dollars. That will be our
main focus.
Then
you need to consider the marketing methods to get your message to
the right people. I believe the best approach is an integrated one.
One that combines both online AND offline ways to court customers
and prospects and make the sale. How to do that effectively will be
our secondary focus.
You
can start today. If you have not already done so, set up a system
to capture the names and physical addresses, as well as email addresses,
of all of your customers and prospects. In a future issue I'll show
you all the ways to do that and which are better than others.
Then,
build a relationship with them by staying in touch -- by email AND
by mail. Your list of customers and prospects is your most valuable
resource in business. Also, in a future issue I'll go into more detail
and explain exactly why that is so. For now, just start collecting
the info and building your database. It will stimulate your sales
even if you don't exactly know why.
Send
them something with substance. And do it regularly.
Inspiration:
To serve and be kind
"Live
your life as though every act were to become
a universal law."
--
Henry David Thoreau
One
of my favorite holiday stories begins Betsy Sanders' uplifting book
Fabled Service. Betsy became a well-known general manager at the superstar
of customer service, Nordstrom, the Seattle-based department store
chain. She also was a board director of Wal*Mart. I have offered my
version many times to business groups, and it always gives me pause.
Take a breath, relax and read this wondrous story of what we and our
world can be:
"To
be the greatest, be a servant."
--
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Reverend
Carolyn Crawford was known throughout Southern California for her
topical, powerful sermons. But speculation on what she would say was
unusually high one particular week just after the holiday season.
As
was customary, each Monday the topic for the Sunday sermon was posted
on a sign outside the church. This week it read: "The Gospel According
to Nordstrom." Members of the congregation were no strangers to upscale
Nordstrom. They just couldn't conceive of what a merchandising Mecca
had to do with the Gospel and its lessons.
"All
life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network
of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects
one directly, affects all indirectly."
--
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Some
thought blasphemy. Others felt the unlikely theme might be stimulating.
One thing was certain: This unlikely homily title had created quite
a stir in town. With such interest, often the reality can't match
the hype. On rare occasions, it transcends.
The
church was packed that Sunday. The hushed congregation awaited Reverend
Crawford's sermon. She began, as might a materialistic heathen, by
evoking the bustling, luxurious atmosphere of a marbled Nordstrom
store during the holiday season.
She
recounted the sensory delight permeating the store: the sight of abundant
decorations; the sounds of holiday music expertly performed by an
elegant, tuxedoed piano player; the aromas of potpourri and expensive
perfume. Flocks of charmed shoppers swarmed in and out, laden with
finely wrapped gifts to bring home.
"Before
I built a wall I'd ask to know what
I was walling in or walling out."
-- Robert Frost
Suddenly,
the shared atmosphere of revelry was shattered. A bag lady, hunched
over, clad in torn clothes and filthy with stench, walked through
the doors. Reverend Crawford was in the store and decided to follow
her, certain that her inopportune presence would be taken care of
promptly -- as unwelcome as it was incongruous. The Reverend waited
to intervene with security so that she could soften the blow to the
woman's dignity when asked nicely, but firmly, to leave. Yet her original
interest in the interloper would soon change. Though Reverend Crawford
saw the stark contrast of this woman to the gracious abundance of
the store, Nordies (Nordstrom employees) must have seen something
else.
"Faith
is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see." -- J.
R. R. Tolkien
No
one tried to stop the bag lady as she shuffled through the store.
She reached the most elegant and pricey Special Occasions Department,
where she was greeted warmly, professionally by a smartly attired
saleswoman. The Reverend was incredulous. What did these people see?
Reverend
Crawford slipped into the fitting room to eavesdrop. She listened,
astonished by what her ears saw. The salesperson's responses to the
customer were solicitous, not patronizing; respectful, not pitying.
"One
cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a [hu]man."
--
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
When
the customer asked to try on evening dresses, the salesperson brought
over one gown after another, asking for the customer's most discriminating
opinion. The customer inspected each gown, trying several on. With
infinite patience as an hour slid away, the salesperson carefully
evaluated which gowns she felt were the most flattering and appropriate
for the customer.
The
bag lady decided she was finished. She left the fitting room, thanked
the salesperson, and walked out of the Special Occasions Department.
This woman looked different. Her head was held high, her gait seemed
smooth and there was a new light in her eye. She had just experienced
Nordstrom.
"There
is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness."
--
Han Suyin
Still
sitting in the fitting room, Reverend Crawford was . . . dumfounded.
She got up and approached the Nordstrom saleswoman. Uncharacteristically
at a loss for words, the Reverend simply asked why she had spent an
hour with this bag lady, helping her try on thousand dollar gowns
-- at a store which measures employee's sales per hour religiously!
The
composed Nordstrom saleswoman looked Carolyn Crawford straight in
the eye, answering as if the question was as simple as "What time
is it?" "This is what we are here for: To serve and be kind."
"All
work that is worth anything is done in faith."
--
Albert Schweitzer
The
Reverend closed her sermon by asking the congregation, "Couldn't we
say the same thing about ourselves as churchgoers? As human beings?
That we are here to serve and be kind?"
This
was far from the end of the sermon. News of the message spread beyond
one Sunday morning at one church. Churchgoers retold the story to
friends and associates. The New York Times highlighted the incident
-- one that had been memorialized in a church reputed for its preaching.
Demand for the sermon became so overwhelming that the church eventually
sold audiotape copies.
"I
am sustained by knowing that I am doing what is right."
--
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nordstrom
salespeople were both humbled and challenged when they heard the story.
In a culture that asked employees to give their best to customers
under all circumstances, the bar had been raised. Each time this very
real story is told, each time it is shared, its truth grows within
. . . and without.
Happy
holiday reading to you and your family. May we all have the opportunity,
the grace, to serve and be kind. As the young Anne Frank said, "How
wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting
to improve the world."
"Scatter
joy."
--
Ralph Waldo Emerson
My
Very Best to You,
Carl
Galletti
Carl
Galletti
AdSecrets
is available only by CONFIRMED request. To request a subscription
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