How to Wreck Your Marketing Fast

Last week, I got this free standing insert (FSI) in my newspaper ...

Yeah, I know. It looks like a Declaration of War, not an ad ... but that's part of what caught my eye.

Score one for the guy/gal who wrote it.

Despite the obvious ploy at the beginning ("We will be cleaning ... on your block this week only") the copy is of interest to me, because my sewer lines have been cleaned approximately never.

And there's a lot of solid, educational detail here. I read almost every word. Which is proof that people DO read long copy -- as long as they're in the market for what you sell.

Score two at this point.

Now I'm ready to research this company online and see if I can find any rave reviews or complaints.

And that's where it all goes off the rails ...

... because I found a truly nasty, detailed "F" rating for them on a major consumer opinion website (I won't say which). And that stopped me dead in my tracks. As a result, I'll call somebody else.

Think for a moment what just happened here.

1) This company spent time and money to write a long-copy ad, deliver it to me, and prompt me to call them. That part of their marketing worked fine. Until ...

2) Their efforts were sabotaged by rotten customer service delivered by just one employee, which prompted one customer to share their horror story with world, including me. As a result ...

3) Some other company is going to get my hard-earned dollars.

What a waste, eh?

Two lessons here:

1) Your marketing doesn't exist in a vacuum. Everything you do either attracts or repels customers. And it doesn't take a whole lot to tip the scales the wrong way fast, as happened here with me.

2) Your customers have an audience. If you tick people off, they will tell others. So, do everything in your power to find and head off complaints before they get posted online. Or, if a customer does trash you online, SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM. Then beg/plead with them to post an update.

Resource: Want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business? My Client Cloning Kit can do that for you. Grab your copy here.