Advertising agents are fond of saying, “We’ll get you noticed!”

And one thing’s for certain…if you want to sell a product or service…it is important to be noticed, right? 

But… be very careful WHAT you attract attention to.

 If you draw attention to the wrong thing, you’re screwed.  No one will see what you really wanted them to see, which should be your sales message.  And that means missed opportunities and missed sales.

Example:  Fancy graphics on websites, signs and vehicles are often very successful when it comes to capturing someone’s attention. However, they can…and often do…divert the viewer’s attention away from the real message we want them to receive, which is “Why You Should Do Business With ME!”

 The message ultimately gets overshadowed…or upstaged… by something else.

 I’ve included two very short videos in this letter to illustrate how easily our attention can be diverted.

Just click on the links below and enjoy…and THINK about how this could apply to YOU and YOUR BUSINESS!

http://youtu.be/Ahg6qcgoay4

http://youtu.be/38XO7ac9eSs

And I hope you have a great day,

Hal

PS.  Find FREE Small Business Marketint Tips and Ideas at my website, http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

Subcribe to my FREE Weekly Small Business Marketing Articles at http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com.

Also, if you would like for me to bring one of my workshops to your office, or assist you as your personal marketing coach to help you grow your business, just give me a call a 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help you.

PPS.  And I’d love to speak at your next event or training meeting!

http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

If you’re in sales (and we all are, no matter what our actual title is) you typically have some type of introduction, presentation, close and call to action.

Some sales people…the really good ones… take this stuff very seriously.  They are constantly editing, tweaking and refining their entire sales process. 

They never stop learning.  They never stop sharpening.

They are eternal students of selling.

But many sales people make a fatal mistake that leaves the prospective buyer with one big unanswered question. 

And that is:  What happens AFTER I purchase this product/service?

The FACT is…they don’t even really know they have this question…but it is there nevertheless. 

It is in their subconscious mind.  It leaves them with a sense of doubt and fear that they don’t even recognize at the time.

This subconscious doubt and fear causes them to pause at the end of the presentation.  And that pause is oftentimes the fatal “stumble” in the horserace.  It prevents them from “pulling the trigger” and signing on the dotted line.

For this reason, it is very important that you tell your prospect what will happen after the sale. 

Allow them to assume ownership of your product and create an image in their mind of how life will be once you are gone and they are in possession of your product.

This is a powerful response generator.  It allows them to experience what it feels like to own it. 

And it is your job…as a salesperson…to make sure that feeling is a good one.

If you will do that, you will definitely get more signatures on the dotted line.

Thanks for reading this letter, and I hope you have a great day!

Hal

PS.  Are you ready to grow your small business…or your sales quota… to the next level?

Are YOU ready to learn some really simple, easy…and deadly effective…ways to get more referrals and more new customers right in your own back yard this year?

If the answer is YES…I’d love to come to YOUR OFFICE and share some of my tips, secrets, strategies and techniques with YOU and all of YOUR EMPLOYEES!

Call me at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help you grow your business!

Find FREE Marketing Tips and Information at http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com  

Subscribe to my FREE Weekly Articles at http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

Last week I told you the story of the tree company I had contacted to remove several trees that were leaning toward my house. 

They arrived on time to give me the estimate, but made an obvious sales blunder with their presentation which ultimately cost them $120.00.  (I’m not complaining…yet.)

I called them several days later and gave them the go-ahead on the job and here’s what happened next:

• They never called me back to schedule.
• I finally called them and the guy told me to fax my estimate to his office and his secretary would call me back within an hour to schedule.   I did…and she didn’t.
• Finally…after four days of waiting…called them back and left a message that I wanted to have the job done on a Thursday am.    I never heard back.
• After several days, I called again and left a message.  I received a message on my voice mail later that day that the job was scheduled to be done the following Monday.  
• I called back and rescheduled for the following Thursday, first thing in the morning.  She assured me they would be there first thing.  She made a note for it to be the very first job that day.
• Thursday 9:30am, no sight of them yet.  I called.  No answer. I left a message that I was waiting.
• 11:45am, still no sight or word from them.  I called back. No one there.  I left a message to cancel the job. 
• I still have not heard from them.  Go figure.

I have dealt with some pretty frustrating companies in my days, but this one was about as bad as I’ve ever seen. 

How do they stay in business?

What is going on with them?

I am a well-connected person in my community and they knew that.  As a matter of fact, they were very familiar with my radio and television shows and told me they had been big fans of mine for years.   They were very pleasant and likeable fellows.

But now they have totally disappointed, frustrated and alienated me.  And let me be more frank…they really pissed me off.

They basically cost me a whole day out of my life.  The time I spent with them getting the estimate was ultimately wasted, and I waited here another half day and they never showed up.

Bottom line:  Do you think I will eve r recommend them to anyone else?

Do you think I will eve r say anything good about them to anyone else?

Do you think it will ultimately cost them a ton of business over the years by being so unprofessional?

Of course, you know the answer …and it is very sad.

The number one most effective marketing tool of all time is great customer service.  Apparently no one has ever told them that…or they just didn’t listen.  Or maybe they just don’t care.

Oh, and I found another company that was great, and the trees are gone and I am happy.  They even beat the other guy’s price by 50 bucks too!

And all because they were totally committed to MAKING ME HAPPY.

I hope YOU feel the same way about your customers.

Now…go out there and get some more of’em!

Hal

PS. Need some outside help getting YOUR small business marketing  fired up and moving forward?

Want some new ideas that really work?

Ready to grow your business to the next level?

I’d love to come your office and show YOU and ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES some really easy, simple, yet deadly effective ways to get more referrals and more new customers.

Call me at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU grow your small business this year!

Find FREE Small Business Marketing Tips and Information at my website: http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

Subscribe to my FREE Weekly Small Business Marketing Articles at: http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

Awhile back I contacted a tree cutting company to remove some dead trees on my property.  I knew sooner or later the trees would fall on my house and hit me in the wallet, so I decided to be pro-active and reduce the damage before it actually happened.

When the tree man arrived, I first only showed him one tree I wanted to have removed.

He said, “Well…normally our minimum charge is $350.00 but I’ll give you half price deal on this one.  If you want it cut down, I’ll do it for 180.00.  How does that sound?”

I said, “That sounds pretty good”…but I’m thinking, “Wow, he’s already cut his price before getting any reaction or response from me at all.  I wonder what’s next.”

I then pointed out the other 2 trees I wanted to have removed.   He did some calculations and then presented me with a written estimate.  The price was $630.00.

Immediately, as he handed me the estimate, he said, “If you’ll go ahead and sign here and let me do the work, I’ll knock off another $90.00 and do the whole job for $540.00. 

I hesitated.

Then I said, “Well, I really need to discuss this with my wife first.”

He replied, “If I agree to do it for $510.00 would that help you make up your mind.”

I explained that my wife and I usually don’t make such decisions without consulting each other.

He seemed annoyed when he left.

I called him a few days later and told him I’d take his $510.00 offer. 

And now the trees are scheduled to be gone and I am happy…especially since I saved $120.00.

Bottom line:  I’d have gladly paid the original price of $630.00.  The man came highly recommended by a trusted friend and that’s all I needed to be confident doing business with him.

But instead I got it for $510.00…all because he began negotiations on his own price! 

My point…or lesson…is simply this:  State your price and then shut up and wait for the other person to say something.

In most cases they will simply say, “OK”.

Believe me, if they want to negotiate the price, they will do it. They don’t need YOU to give them the idea that it actually is negotiable.

Note: This is not the same as offering a deal and a deadline in your ads.

Make sense?

I hope so.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a great day!

Hal

PS.  Get FREE Marketing Tips and Information at my website, http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com.  Subscribe to my FREE Weekly Articles!

Give me a call at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU grow your small business this year!

http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com  

I was taught early in my sales career in the termite and pest control industry (as were the vast majority of sales people) that, if a person is getting three estimates for a service, it is best for me to be the last one of the three.  Being last gives me a distinct advantage.

I’ve seen many a  sales rep go to great lengths to make sure they were the last ones to present their proposal to a prospective customer.

In the past, I myself have “circled the block” until the other company has left the scene in order to make sure I was last.

But…what if that is not accurate thinking?

What if you found out that you would have a distinct advantage by being first?

Recent studies have actually shown that our old way of thinking is, in fact, wrong!

Neuroscientists have shown that the first person to present actually sets the bar for the others.  And…it is typically easier for a person to assess content to be worse than better.  (NeuroMarketing,  Renvoise’ & Morin, 2007)

So…by being first…you stand a greater chance of staying on top of the list!

 Food for thought.

And definitely worth considering.

Let me know YOUR thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Hal

PS. I’d love to come to your office and show you and all of your employees some really simple, easy ways to generate more referrals and get more new customers this year.

Just give me a call at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU grow your small business!

Find FREE Marketing Tips and Information at my website: http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

I spend most of my time these days visiting with  small business owners.  I am constantly having coffee or lunch with business owners, managers, salespeople and technicians. 

I spend hours on end listening to them vent their frustrations and disappointments.

And one thing is clear.  With rare exception, most problems in small businesses are the direct result of a lack of proper communication.

In many cases, the employees simply aren’t sure what the owner really wants from them.  And the owner doesn’t really know what the employee’s want either.

Oh, they think they do. But, in most cases…when you really get down to the nitty-gritty of it…they’re pretty much clueless.

I met with a small pest control company recently and this fact was painfully obvious.

 I found the following conditions:

• The business wasn’t growing.  It had hit a wall.
• Everyone was frustrated.
•  Everyone felt alone and isolated. 
• They were not functioning as a team, but as a group of independent units totally out of sync. 
• The employees all felt taken advantage of, under compensated and over worked.
• The owner felt taken advantage of.  He felt that the employees were compensated well and should be happy just to have jobs.
• There was a lot of finger-pointing and very little acknowledgement of individual responsibility for anything.
• Nobody, including the owner, really knew what the other team members wanted from them or expected of them. 
• They were just going through the motions each day.
• They were not excited about anything to do with the company.

And so…I gathered them all together into one room and here’s what I told them to do as a first step to turning things around and building a winning team. 

First…I told the owner that it was his responsibility to find out exactly what each employee’s goal was within the company. And then it was up to him to do everything within his power to help each employee reach their goal.

Second… I told the owner that he needed to tell his employees exactly what his goal was.  And then I told the employees that it was up to them to do everything within their powers to help him reach his goal.

Zig  Ziglar says, “You can have anything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want!”

But first you have to find out exactly what it is THEY really want. 

And they have to know exactly what it is that YOU want.

If you will practice Zig’s principle within your business, you will see an increase in motivation and positive mental attitude.  And that will ultimately lead to more sales, more new customers, and more new business.

I promise.

Thanks for taking the time to read this letter, and I hope you have a great day!

Hal

PS. I’d love to help YOU grow your small business this year!

Just give me a call at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU.

Subscribe to my FREE Marketing Articles at: http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

I’m a Rotarian.  I have been a member of The Rotary Club of Roswell for 14 years.

I also speak at lots of other Rotary Clubs.  I think I was the guest speaker at 24 Rotary Clubs last year.

In Rotary, we have something called the 4-Way Test. Each week, at the end of the meeting, we all stand and recite the 4-Way Test.

It goes like this: 

Of the things we think, say and do…

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The 4-Way Test was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 as a code of ethics for a struggling business he was attempting to save.  It became the company’s guide for all sales, production and advertising, and all other relations with dealers and customers.  The survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy and code of ethics.

Even if you aren’t a Rotarian, the 4-Way Test is a great statement of how we should not only run our businesses, but a great guideline for living our personal lives and how we relate to others.

I think about the 4-Way Test each week when I recite it.  I take it to heart.  I have literally walked away from business deals and relationships with others because they did not fit the 4-Way Test.

I can think of no better way to grow a business and achieve success, wealth and happiness than to live by the 4-Way Test.

And that’s my thought for the day,

Hal

PS. Would you like to know some really simple, easy, yet highly effective ways to get more new customers for your small business? 

If the answer is YES…just give me a call at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU grow your business this year.

Find out more at http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com. Subscribe to my FREE WEEKLY ARTICLES at the website.

 http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com  

Question:  What do Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Merryl Streep, Chipper Jones, Peyton Manning, Robert DeNiro, Cher, Donald Trump, Al Pacino, Bill Gates, and  Andrea Boccelli all have in common? 

Answer:  They all have coaches, mentors and advisors.

Were it not for that, those people I just listed would not be famous today.

Throughout history, successful people, no matter what their field of endeavor, have realized  the importance of coaching and mentoring. 

Intelligent people know they can’t get to where they want to be by themselves.

Top professionals seek out guidance from trusted advisors. 

They also make it a point to learn something from everyone they come in contact with.  And they use that information to help themselves achieve a higher level success and wealth.

If you are a business owner…or an employee…you need to seek out trusted people (i.e. role models) who have already done what YOU seek to do.

Whether your goal is to build a successful business, or work your way up within one, you need to study successful people and model their behaviors.

One thing I have found over the years is that truly successful people are also grateful people. 

They didn’t arrive at where they are alone.  They were coached, guided and mentored along the way.  And, almost without exception, they are eager to share their knowledge and experiences with others.

They realize what Ralph Waldo Emerson referred to as “The Law Of Compensation”.  The more you give, the more you get in return.  And the more you get in return, the more you give back.

I once heard someone say that the difference between a rich man and a broke man is this:  A rich man seeks to learn everything he can from everyone he comes in contact with. A broke man isn’t interested in learning anything from anybody…because he already knows everything there is to know!

Fact:  If you want to be successful, you need to do what successful people do…and you will succeed.

 If you want to fail, just do what failures do…and you will fail also.

My point is this:  If you own a business, or if you work for a business, you are not alone…so don’t pretend to be.  You need to constantly seek out the advice and guidance of successful people who have been there/done  that…and who are eager to help YOU go there and do it too!

Thanks for reading this letter,

Hal

PS.  I would love bring one of my workshops into YOUR office for YOU and YOUR ENTIRE STAFF.

http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

I will show you, your sales team, your technicians…even your office staff… how to generate more referrals, attract more new business and get more new customers for your small business…I guarantee it!

If you’re interested, just give me a call at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I can help YOU be more successful this year!

http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com

My wife Lynn likes to give people presents.

 It doesn’t have to be a birthday or anniversary or any other special occasion.

 If she sees something that she would like to give someone, she just buys it and gives it to them.  She calls it a Happy Day Present. 

Now I ask you, is that not cool? 

Actually, she is the most giving person I have ever known. It’s just one of the many things I love about her (I know she’s gonna read this).

So…when was the last time YOU gave one of your customers a Happy Day Present? 

Can you recall the last time you absolutely blew a customer away by giving them something…or doing something for them…totally unexpected? 

If you aren’t giving Happy Day Presents to your customers from time to time, you need to start because you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity.

It can be a free service, free gift, movie tickets, gift certificate, dinner for two, bottle of wine, a cake, invitation to a cookout, etc., etc., etc. 

Whether you’re in a home service industry such as pest control, roofing, plumbing, painting, lawn care, house cleaning…or you are a professional person such as a doctor, lawyer or accountant…it doesn’t matter.

It’s what I refer to in my book as ‘Shock & Awe’ Customer Service. (http://www.TheBookOnCustomerService.com)

You are limited only by your own creativity and generosity.

Bottom line is this:  Find a way to blow your customer’s minds by doing something totally unexpected and outrageous.  It will endear them to you for life. It will also make them talk about you in the most positive way….to their friends, family, neighbors and associates.

And that, my friend, leads to more referrals, more new customers and more new business!

Thanks for reading this letter…and I hope YOU have a HAPPY DAY.

Hal

PS. I’d love to bring one of my customer service workshops into YOUR OFFICE for you and your entire staff. I’ll show YOU how to create customers who want to go out of their way to get YOU new business!

Feel free to call me at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com and let’s talk about some ways I might be able to help YOU grow your business this year.

In recent years, neuroscientists have confirmed that only emotions can trigger decisions.

Interesting.

Most people mistakenly believe that it is logic that persuades us to do the things we do. But this is not the case. 

Advertising guru William Bernbach said, “You’ve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut.  Because, if they don’t feel it, nothing will happen.”

Now I want you to think about that quote and imagine how it applies to your business and how you market and advertise your product or service.

Experts in psychology, neuroscience and hypnotism have long known that the higher a person’s emotional level, the easier they are to influence.  So, it just stands to reason that, if you want to sell someone something, it would benefit you to communicate with them on an emotional level. 

Example: Suppose I wanted to sell you a termite job.  I could say something like this:

“Termites do more damage to homes each year than fires, floods, tornados and hurricanes combined.  No one wants them getting into their home and causing damage.  That’s why people need termite protection for their homes.”

My statement is true and factual…and certainly logical…but totally devoid of emotion.

Here’s a better way to say it:

“Imagine…one day you notice a small fleck of discolored paint peeling on your breakfast room wall and next thing you know, you find yourself with a sledge hammer and pry bar and you’re ripping out sheetrock in your beautiful kitchen and discovering tens of thousands of live termites eating and destroying your wall. It’s obvious to you that they’ve already done thousands of dollars in damages.  That’s what termites do to beautiful homes just like yours every day. They hit you when you least expect it and next thing you know, you have discovered the damage they’ve done. It’s a horrible sight when it is YOUR HOME they’re destroying.  And, when you realize the whole thing was easily preventable, it makes you sick!“

Do you see the difference? 

In the first scenario, the termites are in some far distant place in someone else’s home.  It is all about other people.

In the second scenario, they’re in YOUR HOME eating away right now! (Note:  I referred to “YOU” at least 16 times.)

You need to be able to make someone “FEEL” what it would be like to have this happen to them.

Once they feel it, they are much more likely to take action and buy from you.

Here’s my point, and it’s a simple one:  Make your marketing, advertising and sales presentations emotional.  The higher the emotional level, the more likely the prospect is to say “YES”.

Thanks for reading this letter.

And thanks to all of you who take the time to pass along your positive comments and support.

Hal

PS.  I would love to bring one of my workshops into YOUR office for YOU and YOUR STAFF!

Get my FREE Marketing Tips, Strategies, Secrets and Techniques at http://www.TheNetworkingNinja.com.

Contact me at 770-993-0004 or email Hal@HalColeman.com