Personality and warmth, helps. 

Think of it like this: who would you rather deal with – a jeweller with exquisite diamonds and saphires, though no human touch… or… a jeweller with similar merchandise, however, the proprieter has a charm, a naturalness, a certain way when it came to interacting…

Who would you choose?

No question, right? 

So, if every product and service was reduced to a mere commodity, what then would be the governing factor in a prospect choosing US over all others out there who are doing pretty much the same as we are?

It seems ridiculously simple when we talk it through, breaking the question down into little fragmented building blocks.

A human face, and endearing personality, a charming way… will trump a faceless nameless enterprise or organisation, hands down.

What can you do to break out of the trap of the mediocre, the very same ones who are trying to get you to imitate what the masses do?

Walk the other way and let your authentic personality settle into the minds and hearts of your prospects and customers.

They’ll thank you with their purses and wallets.

Happy marketing,

Raja C. Hireker
www.RajaHireker.com   

What am I talking about?

Well, if you’re familiar with the hot programme of the 80′s, you’ll remember that detective Crocket and Tubbs, were mostly ‘wired for sound’ in order to catch their villians in the act.

And, that’s exactly what you should be doing in your business — but with a little twist – you should capture (record) your best sales people whilst they’re on the phone as they’re doing great sales pitches to your prospects and clients.

Then, what you should do is transcribe that ‘vocal sales letter’ into print.

When you do that, you won’t believe the sheer power and authenticity that happens because of this simple though little used technique.

You’ll instantly realise your sales letters will hum with unusual flow and with the EXACT language you should use when writing to your prospects and clients!

If you wan to create expert marketing documents yourself, or if you want to hire someone to do it for you, employing the MIAMI VICE sales letter technique will be the best way for you to have your marketig documents prepared.

Wishing you a Warm June 4th.

Raja C. Hireker
www.RajaHireker.com

P.S. If you’ve not seen the Miami Vice detective serial, I suggest you rent a couple of MV DVDs for when you do, you’ll also find out how to inject personality as well as incorporating action packed entertainment into your sales copy! 

bills…
blatant advertising…
useless junk…

And… coming up on the rear is…

A PERSONAL LETTER!

Stats pooled from various sources show that out of the hundred or so weekly post the average person gets, maybe one is… GASP… a personal letter!

Do you understand the significance of that vital piece of information?

If you didn’t get it just yet… here it is:

If you send a personal letter promoting your services, it’ll not only stand out like a shining knight in a post box full of mediocrity, it’ll get opened, and, it’ll get read!

And that dear reader, is the first few steps in the customer relationship game: getting attention, getting opened, and… getting read!

Oh, and another thing: if you were to send a promotion by email, and send the other half by personal mail, the personal mail will outpull the email version by upto… TWENTY TIMES! 

Of course, no need to believe me…

GO PROVE IT WORK FOR YOURSELF… your bank balance will thank you no end!

Happy posting,

Raja C. Hireker
www.RajaHireker.com

Are you someone who runs a professional practice, are a consultant, coach or an elite service professional who wants MORE customers and clients, MORE referrals, MORE increase in income, MORE respect and MORE increase in prestige …THEN… MAYBE YOU CAN HELP  TO…

Quite frankly, the zip, energy and excitement have all but vanished. The idea of them bagging maximum money in minimum time from their own enterprise is nothing but a forgotten dream.My name is R C. Hireker (a marketing consultant and advertising writer) and I’ve just taken the exciting step of embarking on a journey to completely change the way elite service professionals, coaches and consultants, promote what it is they do. Over the last few years, I’ve gathered an astounding number of profitable strategies, tips and insights that I’ve painstakingly and personally acquired from the highest paid and most prolific marketers in the world. I think these insights could help professional practices, consultants and coaches just like you… dramatically!And that’s especially true if you’d like to at least double the amount of qualified leads you attract, double your profits and drive your competition crazy – and that’s just for starters!

Take a look at the ad below. What do you think about it? Any good? Results?

Before you wield your magic opinion on it, remember this: YOU ARE NOT YOUR CUSTOMER.

Why’s that important?

Well, for the simple reason that what we think may or may not work, really doesn’t matter.

What counts, is what your customers’ say.

Put yourself in the mind of a prospect who is in the market for an interior designer. You’ve been bombarded with the usual catalogue of pomposity, bragging and down right ludicrious.

Then, along comes this ad. The one you see below. 

One thing you may agree on is that it certainnly looks and ‘sound’ much different than most other ads and promotional pieces you find out there.

Did it make a trickle, or cause a stampede?

Well, I’ll be telling you the low down in a couple of posts time. 

The Interior Living Specialists

Give Us Just 30 Minutes and We’ll Show You How to Transform Any Room Into A Dynamic, Can’t–Stay-Away-From, Want To Live In, Cosy Pad!

Have you ever found yourself  stuck when trying to think of the best combinations for dressing up your windows? Have you ever wanted to find out which blinds, curtains, pelmets, matching curtain rods… would be suitable for you? Or, did you need expert advice about matching sofa covers, fabrics, re-upholstery and other useful help…  but have been turned off because the people you’ve gone to for help, seemed stuffy, unhelpful and woefully expensive?

Well, it seems you’re not alone! We’ve discovered that there are a lot of unhappy, disgruntled customers who are exactly in the same situation you are!

We here at  XXXXXXXX  have decided to do something about it. We’ve condensed all our knowledge and created a FREE, 30 Minute “Interior Design Audit”. It’s simple to carry out. It’s fun, it’s comprehensive and you’ll enjoy it. Your house may really really thank you! And, your friends may soon accuse you of winning the lottery!
HERE’S OUR BIG PROMISE TO YOU: We promise not to pressure you, Not to overload you with technical jargon. Not to smother you with irrelevant concepts, ideas or advice. We promise not to hard sell you on anything. If there’s something you feel comfortable with, and would like to proceed with things, you’ll be the ones to let us know.
As our “Interior Design Audit” diary is filling up fast, it’ll take upto a week or two to fit you in. So, we urge you to secure your place now. PLUS, when you book your spot, we’ll be sending you a copy of our special report called, “

Have you ever tried to FORCE your sales and marketing messages to a third party, and seemed genuinely surprised when you DIDN’T get a reply?

One of the BIGGEST MARKETING MISTAKES is believing that just because we send a sales letter, brochure or other marketing document out into the market place, that it’ll instantly get opened, read and responded to.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

People pretty much read their mail whilst standing over a wastebasket… their finger poised on the computer delete button… the tv remote control aimed and ready to zap out the next piece of visual nonsense… the newspaper ad about to be instantly dismissed… the trade publication about to be flipped over… fast!

Yes, attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. It looks like ‘instant gratification’ is here to stay.

And that means… the next promotion that is received, had better be a compelling and responsive one.

Which of course… is pretty rare, because as much as 90- 95% of all the sales promotions we all receive, universally… STINK!  

The BIG ANSWER to get the attention of the people we wish to influence, is to TREAT THEM AS PERSONAL FRIENDS, even though we may not have made their acquaintance, yet.

What that means to our prospects is to not send them communication that reeks of institutionalised bragging.

But instead… contains warmth… a touch of personality… a dose of authenticity… and… a blast of truth and honesty.

The big breakthrough comes when we get out of thinking in terms of ‘business to consumer’ or ‘business to business’ communication, and, instead, focus on ‘people to people’ selling… on emotional direct-response selling…on creating long-term relationships.

That simple mental shift, focussing on people to people selling instead of thinking otherwise, is what creates the HUGE DIFFERENCE IN RESULTS, both in terms of money in the bank and… long term future business.

How does one create that shift?

What are the factors that one should look for in creating a personal type communication?

Well, the main factors to concentrate on are the KEY DOMINANT EMOTIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THE MINDS of the people, prospects, customers, business owners you are trying to reach!

What emotions am I talking about?

The emotions of greed, love, envy, fear, anger… are good places to start.

And, with further digging, we can find out a lot more about our target market and what makes them tick.

Things like …

… what keeps your prospects up at night, unable to sleep… understanding who your customers and prospects are truly mad at… what are the trends that are occurring that’ll have major consequences for them over the coming weeks, months and years…

All of these, and more, are instrumental in bonding with prospects by tapping into the existing conversations that are currentlydominant in their minds.

For example it’s no good speaking to a business owner who has fewer than 30 staff, by opening with something like…

“Dear Mr Business Owner:
Having over 50 staff can be a nightmare, can’t it?”

Well guess what… you’ve just lost them in that opening sentence!

All that planning, all that research, all that effort… has gone out the window.

And, along with it, ANY POSSIBLE FUTURE SALES, REFERRAL AND
RESIDUAL SALES FROM A NEWLY ACQUIRED PROSPECT.

And do you know what? That can all add up to a pretty SIZEABLE AMOUNT when you consider exactly how much a single customer is worth!

Can you now see how VITAL it is to communicate with sincerity, with personality, with authenticity?

What would YOUR bank account look like if you attracted the perfect prospects, created a long-term relationships where either your customers, clients or patients, made regular and continual payments to you, for as long as you wanted them to?

Delicious, isn’t it?

Wouldn’t you be more inclined to ensure that all your marketing and advertising promotions were deadly accurate and didn’t contain any of the lacklustre, boring, institutionalised rubbish which plague everyone else’s marketing efforts?

Of course you would!

Raja C. Hireker
http://RajaHireker.com

It’s not that chasing after new game is wrong. Heck, there needs to be a constant flow of new clients coming into the pipeline of every type of profit based enterprise!

So, where does it all begin, this falling in love with your clients mindset? Well, it all begins with the way clients and prospects are viewed in the first place. You see, there’s a glaring difference in viewing people who purchase from you, as customers, than it is if you view them as clients.

So, what is the difference? Well, a customer is just that, a customer – someone who purchases the goods or services you offer. It’s all pretty neat and tidy.

However, when viewing those same people as clients the attitudinal shift begins. Let me graphically explain this difference. Imagine you’re a lawyer. You’ve a prospective client who’s been referred to you by a previous satisfied client.  

If you were simply customer focused, you’d do what you can in the normal flow of things to secure this prospect as your client.  He can take your services, or not. Now, viewing them as a client, you’ve now taken it upon yourself to guide, steer, lead this person to a happy and productive outcome… even if you were not the logical choice for your prospect and he went somewhere else for what you offer!

You see, you’ve now taken this client under your wing, under your ‘authority.  You’re now looking out for your prospect’s best interest. The client is under your protection!  Seems an outrageous way of thinking, doesn’t it?

But let me tell you, this kind of ‘looking after and looking out for your client’  is what gives them security, gives them a cheer in their heart, gives them a trust factor that you’d work extremely hard at getting in any other way.

Again, you’re truly and sincerely looking after their best interests.  It’s you, telling them and showing them how to get out and steer clear of the pot holes in their life.  And then, showing them how what you do  in your business or service could be the best solution for them.     

It’s where the love affair begins, right from the outset.  This simple shift in thinking in terms of either a customer mindset, or a CLIENT MINDSET, could work wonders for you also. Try it. Evaluate it. If  it works for you (and I see no reason for it not to)… REJOICE!

Raja C. Hireker
http://RajaHireker.com 

P.S  There’s a corker of a special offer for serious Online Business owners only. All you have to do is send an email to RCHireker@Simple-Marketing-Solutions.com with the words SPECIAL-E-OFFER in the subject line.   

Well, let me tell you that you’re not alone in your thinking.

You see, the way we read, the way we write, the way we converse,
stems all the way back when we were in school.

We were told the PROPER way to write and understand English.

We then add to the confusion in later life by reading and listening
to the jargon and academic speak of professors, article writers,
‘traditional’ advertising people who feel the need to ‘educate’ us
about the sophistication of the English language.

Of course, little, if none of it has any real worth in the day to
day of communicating with each other.

I mean, come on, who on earth talks to each other using words such
as…  

Indestructibility… effervescence… revolutions… convolute…
incumbent… petulance…

Well, okay, maybe intellectuals, academics, aristocrats… maybe…
but pretty much on the whole, most of us talk okay, in a kind of
chatty, friendly, sit around a cup of coffee type way, do you not
agree?

If that IS the case, and if you yourself agree that that’s how you
most likely talk, then doesn’t it make sense that we WRITE
MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PROMOTIONS IN THE WAY THAT WE
MOST LIKELY SPEAK?

And, do you know what?

I know this core message is troubling for a number of people.
Especially those who have been educated in a particular way…who
have been told that they need an ADVANCED VOCABULARY in order to
reach the top in life.

In fact, a number of English teachers all round the globe will be
jumping up and down in frustration and disbelief at the mere
thought of written communication being littered with
colloquialisms, chatty style writing and the breaking of a number
of grammar rules.

But do you know something? As hard as I try, I’m hard pressed to
find a really rich English teacher! Now isn’t THAT telling us
something?  

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING…

I was literally blown away when just the other day, I saw a letter
that had exactly 361 words on it, contained none of the pompous,
intellectual, high brow language… but… was mailed in the
millions, created a business that spawned 8 countries and made
millions for the owners!

And the funny thing about that letter was I showed it to a number
of advertising and marketing professionals and they universally
scoffed at it, saying it was nothing more than a waste of space and
that it was too simple and too basic.

There lies my point.

Communication in print or in any other form needs to be sincere,
warm, clear and absolutely shot of the boredom factor. 

Of course, seeing their jaws drop open in pure astonishment when I
showed them the documentary evidence, was a piece of pure magic
that will stay with me till the day I drop.

Yes, for simple marketing solutions really do bring the most
astounding of rewards.

In fact, if you want to put that last sentence to the test in your
own business, here’s what you should do:

Find out who’s the most successful sales person in your business
(if you’re the sole ‘sales person’ for your business, practice,
consultancy, then you’ll have to get someone else to help you with
this exercise)… and eavesdrop on their client/customer
conversation.

In fact, do more than that… record their conversation… and do
it a number of times in order to capture the best selling
conversation you can, whilst they’re in full flow. Just capture it!

Either get it on tape, video, mobile phone, whatever. Just record
it.

Then, what you do next is to simply transcribe that ‘SELLING
CONVERSATION’ and create it in print.

You can remove all the unwanted ums and ers, references to the
weather and the general chit chat, and then, what you’ll be left
with is the bare boned essence of a truly wonderful selling sales
script. One that can be converted into a number of media formats…

Sales letters, websites, postcards, adverts… you name the media,
you’ll have a basis to adopt adapt and apply the winning sales
script you have now created.

Would you like to know how publishers Boardroom Reports, A 100
MILLION A YEAR BUSINESS started out?

It started out EXACTLY the way I just handed out to you in this
valuable article.

It happened by simply taping a conversation between the owner Marty
Edelston and a copywriter by the name of Gene Schwartz, and then
transcribing it in print. 

I hope you study it well, for it contains the seeds to propel your
business like you won’t believe.

Get busy, get connected. 

       
Raja C. Hireker
http://RajaHireker.com

Unbelievable, but true.

But how could that be? We’re living in the most glorious of times that anyone could ever want to live in. Look and see. Opportunity is all around. Money is flowing in the streets. People are spending, left, right and center. Wealth is spreading like a virus

It couldn’t be that these ‘professionals’ are thinking there’s a downturn in the economy? Perish the thought.No.

The real reason that these people, and let me quickly add that this is the same scenario for a segment of people in ALL professions and industries – including professionals of every type - is that they’ve not marketed themselves to any sort of satisfaction, and, they’ve not practiced – THICK FACE, BLACK HEART.

“What!”…

Yes. You see, if it were left up to just doing the technical expertise, you know, the DOING of the profession, without the need for any sort of marketing, then everyone would be rich, right?

But, that’s not the case. See, once a person, a professional if you will, can keep a straight face when quoting the fee to the prospective client, the money will come.And…It’ll come in a rush.It’s like this – once you set your parameters of how you want to trade, how you want clients to act, what you’ll accept and what you won’t, you’ll attract the exact type and caliber of clients you’re looking for.

It’s a strange law of nature, but we’d all better heed its miraculous power if we’re looking to get rich. If we don’t act on its wisdom, we’ll soon be sharing the bargain bucket basement pad with the rest of those ‘poor professionals’.

For that’s what TIMID MARKETING will get us.

So, how does one go about getting this THICK FACE, BLACK HEART attitude?

Well, for one, go get the book with the same name. It’s by author Chin-Ning Chu, and there’s some priceless stuff in there.  

Like on page 119, where Chin-Ning Chu talks about moderate versus extreme criticism, she says… “ Use Thick Face to shield yourself from potential criticism and send your work to the world. You might be surprised at its reception.”       

Also, whilst you’re at it, get yourself a copy of Robert Ringer’s bestseller “To Be or Not to Be Intimidated? That is The Question”.What these books will do for you is something really quite remarkable. They’ll give you the inner strength to help you become immune to criticism. Your own criticism!See, we all talk ourselves out of a good deal, out of a good life, out of a good relationship. Don’t we?It’s not that we don’t want to do, achieve, aspire. Deep down we do. But, on the surface, there’s a lunatic critic lurking. And… it’s us!

We’ve just got to acknowledge that we self sabotage ourselves when the going gets good. And, we need to side step it, get out of our own way, and get good at valuing ourselves.  

Another way to get real focused about the value you possess as a copywriter and marketer, and, what you can do for others, is to get yourself a mirror! Maybe a square thing, 12 x 12 inches.What you’re going to do next is your going to look into it. And, without flinching, you’re going to act as if you’ve a prospect in front of you and you’re going to quote the fee that you feel you’re worth. Do it, and see how it feels. Note what occurs. Write it down. Go over it again. Record what your physiology’s telling you, your thoughts, your assessment of the whole thing.By doing this over a period of time (by the way, it takes 21 days for a practice, to become a habit) you’ll master the art of quoting without flinching and… you’ll feel totally comfortable about walking away if a possible client doesn’t accept your terms.

Let me tell you, there’s a feeling of liberation and unusual ease when you don’t care what the client thinks. You know you’ve got the chops, the expertise, the skill that these people’ will kill for.

It’s just that YOU don’t quite believe it yet.Once you believe your value and worth, and what it is you can bring to the table for yourself, and for business owners, you’ll soar into the RICH ZONE.Like it?

Then… get practicing with the mirror, get the books and read them, and… get yourself a savvy accountant who’ll help you manage all the money that’ll soon flow your way.

Raja C. Hireker
http://RajaHireker.com  

That sentence is something you want to steer clear of.

It’s the mantra of those marketers, professionals, entrepreneurs… who feel that it’s not that important to capture attention immediately, whilst their most saleable aspect of their communication, is buried somewhere through the minefield.

Understand this:

If a person isn’t drawn into the marketing or promotional piece right from the beginning, they’re sure as heck not going to trawl through it all and shout “oh goody, we’ve found the main reason why we wanted to read this in the first place!”

I don’t think that’s going to happen. And now, nor do you… I hope!   

When you fire your biggest, most compelling, most irressitible offer or reason for reading the promotional material, then you’ll have a willing prospect who’ll read all you have to say.

Try it.

Don’t merely think that just because you wrote it, just because you paid someone to style it. just because you spent an enormous amount of time on it, that it’ll get read.

No.

You need to pull out all the stops in order to make what it is you’re looking to promote, gets read. For that’s the first square on the marketing game board.

Get that right and you’re on your way.

Happy Wednesday 25th April.

Raja C Hireker
http://RajaHireker.com/copywriting.html