The Strange Marketing Power of Chocolate

Do you love chocolate?

I thought so.

Well, here’s one more reason to love chocolate: It can build your business.

Below is a transcript of a conversation I had with copywriter Tom Trush, from Phoenix, AZ.

Read it to discover the strange secret of how chocolate can boost your profits ... 

Kevin Donlin: "Tom, you had a story and it was kind of prompted from something you read in my Marketing Multipliers program where I often talk about creating new experience for your business using food, specifically, chocolate."

Tom Trush: "I was talking to a client who was definitely frustrated. He had a big deal lined up, so big that he had flown to Denver to meet with the prospect. 

"He thought the meeting went great and he followed up by email and it sounded like it was just a matter of getting the deal signed. But the prospect would not respond. He sent multiple emails over and over."

Kevin: "So, the trail went cold. Lots of emails, but nothing from the prospect?"

Tom: "Right. I know that you are a huge fan of direct mail, and I am, too. So I told him to change the medium from email -- because it’s just so easy to ignore -- and use regular mail.

"I suggested to he should put together a package and take the same information you’re sending by email, but change your format and send it by mail.

"Even better, send it FedEx or UPS. That would show some urgency and show you’re dedicated to this project.

"And I remembered what you suggested, Kevin, about how including a food gift like chocolate is an easy way to turn a direct mail piece into a sensory experience."

Kevin: "So what happened?"

Tom: "He popped some chocolates into the package and sent it off UPS ... and he said within two days he was on a call with the prospect to close the deal."

"Changing the format and delivering it via UPS really helped. But I think the chocolate was a big deal, too. It’s such a little thing, but how can you ignore chocolate? It adds an experience, you eat it and you remember it."

Kevin: "Right on all counts. Whether you send an express letter by UPS or FedEx, it can’t possibly go into a spam folder. It has to be opened. Keep that in mind when you compare the “cost” of email, which is free but increasingly ineffective, vs. the “cost” of an overnight letter.

"Second idea: Chocolate. When you’re eating chocolate, it’s impossible to be unhappy. So when you’re grinning and you’re reading a letter, your brain is making a connection between the two. It’s a powerful sensory experience.

"Compare that to reading an email on a laptop, iPad, or -- worst of all -- a mobile phone. That’s just text on a screen, visible for 3-5 seconds and then, poof! Deleted or achieved. Not nearly in the same league as a tangible letter plus a chocolate gift. And not nearly the same results."

Bottom line: Anyone can execute this idea. Find your best sales message, print it, add a nice gift of chocolate, and send it all FedEx or UPS.

But first, let me drop some science on you. There’s a chemical compound in chocolate, called phenethylamine (PEA).

PEA mimics the chemistry of your brain when you’re in love. Maybe that’s why chocolate is said to be an aphrodisiac. In any case, the chemicals in chocolate make people HAPPY ... and if you can make people HAPPY in business, you can do WELL in business.
 
Now, if you don’t see the value in investing $20 for all this, especially when it could make you back many hundreds or thousands of dollars ... well, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby. And you should stop pretending otherwise.

One more thing. 

If you found this idea helpful … and you want more clients like your best clients ... claim your Free Client Cloning Kit at www.clientcloningsystems.com

Referral Rewards: The Simple Way to Grow Your Service Business

Here's an outstanding way to encourage more referrals to your business, especially if you sell a service.

Take a look at this issue of the newsletter published by The Prouty Project:

They're doing two smart things to encourage referrals, both of which you can emulate ...

1) Publicly Recognizing Referrals

Too often, we forget to thank the people who send us referrals. Which is a mistake. 

William James, the father of American psychology, wrote: "The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated."

When you give people appreciation for their referrals, they will give you more referrals. Because you get more of any behavior that you reward.

And when you reward that behavior with public recognition, by publishing photos and quotes from clients who refer, you "super size" this process. Your clients will save that issue of your newsletter with their picture in it ... and they will likely talk about it and show it to other people. Which naturally leads to more referrals.


2) Rewarding Referrals with a Charitable Donation

There are many ways to incentivize referrals: you can offer a cash reward, gift card, discount on a future purchase, or some combination of those.

But The Prouty Project goes beyond typical rewards by offering a $1,000 donation to charity for one randomly chosen referrer. Then, they take it one step further by letting the winner select the charity that receives the money.

This is a triple play: The Prouty Project wins by supporting a good cause; the winner wins by choosing a charity to support; and the charity wins by getting $1,000.

To power up your referral rewards program (you do have one, don't you?) use these two ideas: publicly recognize referrals and reward referrals with donations to charity.

A smart referral rewards program is a true Marketing Multiplier: Small actions that deliver big profits. This is so low-tech, it's practically NO-tech. And you can create one today.

One more thing: If you own a service business in the U.S., you can get a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers delivered to your door at no cost, if you hurry. Learn more at www.MarketingMultipliers.com

How to Multiply Your Marketing: Simple Secrets That Work Wonders

I'm a writer.

I write.

I don't speak or do many videos.

But a few weeks ago, I did a phone interview with marketers Tom Trush and Andy Renk that delivered so many ideas in so little time, I decided to share it with you here.

Tom and Andy pulled a pickup truck full of ideas out of my head in this interview, "How to Multiply Your Marketing: Simple Secrets That Work Wonders."

If you own a business, listen now to discover:

• The easiest way to start a conversation that leads to a sale, especially if you sell a service
• How “The Retention Box” can keep your clients longer, while increasing profits by up to 90%
• Why you should never send another price quote (and what to send instead)
• A direct-mail shortcut that's simple, low-cost, and virtually guarantees your message gets opened and read by your prospects
• And a whole lot more 

You'll discover a half dozen Marketing Multipliers revealed on our interview. 

The Marketing Multipliers Manifesto

What can 300 dead Spartans teach you about marketing?

Plenty.

In 480 B.C., those 300 Spartans battled more than 150,000 Persians at Thermopylae.

The Spartans held off a force 500 times their number for two days. Only after a traitor revealed a path that let the Persians surround them were the Spartans defeated.

How did they do it?

Thermopylae, where the Spartans set up their defense, was a narrow coastal pass. A bottle neck. Which forced the Persians to squeeze in and fight in small groups. Which made the Persians’ numbers irrelevant.

The Spartans used the land as a force multiplier, defined as anything added to a fighting force that delivers a bigger result from the same effort. Other examples of force multipliers include training, morale, and weapons.

This manifesto is your introduction to Marketing Multipliers, defined as anything added to your marketing that delivers a bigger result from the same effort.

Marketing Multipliers are often small, trivial changes. Yet, they can deliver very big results ... while making your competitors irrelevant.

Since 1998, I've helped clients large and small do more with less in their marketing.

Here are 3 simple, practical lessons I've learned.

[NOTE: Don't forget to grab a free PDF of The Marketing Multipliers Manifesto at the end of this post.]

1) Get Real to Really Sell

Do you sell a service? This is especially important to you.

Because selling a service is tough.

Unlike a product, people have no idea what your service is like until after they give you money. So ... you're selling a promise. You're selling the invisible.

And THAT is a tough sale.

So try this: Get real.

By that I mean put something real and tangible into the hands of your prospects. The sooner you do, the sooner you build trust. And the sooner they buy.

Example: GoToWebinar sells an online service -- webinars. They've got loads of competition. Yet, I've been a loyal customer for nearly 6 years now. One reason? Kristen, my account rep, mailed me this thank-you note after I signed up for a trial account in 2010 ...

Instantly, an intangible service became real to me. I trusted GoToWebinar more. I converted to a paid account. And I've given them hundreds of dollars since.

• Cost: $1 for a thank-you note + stamp
• Revenue for GoToWebinar: $1,500 and counting
• ROI: 149,900%

2) Speak the Language of Your Market

This lets you crawl inside the mind of your prospect and use their thoughts to make them buy.

Don't worry. This is 100% ethical, legal, and simple.

Here's all you do: Pull language from book reviews on Amazon.

You see, no matter what business you're in, there are books about it on Amazon. Find those books, read the reviews, then use the wording in your marketing.

These book reviews are valuable because they are written by people who paid money to learn about what you sell.

Here's an example ...

In your marketing, you can use that language for headlines, desires to emphasize, or objections to overcome (among other things).

I did this for one client who sells a real estate service -- highly intangible and very high trust. We peppered his postcards and sales letters with the words I found in Amazon book reviews ...

... and at last count, he's brought in more than $840,000 while doing transactions entirely by phone and fax.

• Cost: $0 to read Amazon book reviews
• Revenue for my client: $840,000
• ROI: Infinite, but for argument's sake: 84,000,000%

3) Never Send Another Price Quote

If you sell a service, you almost certainly deliver price quotes or proposals to prospects.

Stop doing that. Now.

Here's why: When you submit a "Price Quote," "Proposal," or "Bid," you're using commodity language. Which brands you as ... a commodity. And how do people buy commodities? Based on price.

Instead, stop call your price quotes by that name. Call them something -- anything -- else.

Examples: Game Plan, Profit Blueprint, Project Summary, etc.

Take a look at the first few sentence of the Project Outline I send to prospects ...

Think: If a prospect is holding two price quotes from your competitors, and one "Project Summary" from you, guess who defies comparison and avoids questions of price?

• Cost: $0 to name your price quotes something else
• Revenue for you: How much is one new client worth over their buying lifetime? Fill in the blank: $____________
• ROI: Infinite

Now before you go, do this: Download your free PDF of the Marketing Multipliers Manifesto to print and refer to later.

3 Marketing Secrets from 575 Blog Posts

After writing 575 blog posts since 2010, I've learned a few things about how business owners want to attract more new clients.

If you own a service business and you want more clients, here are 3 insights to help you:

Insight #1: Marketing tools beat marketing skills

Since 2010, I've written dozens of posts about skills: how to write better copy, deliver extraordinary client service, etc.

But 3 of my 7 most-popular blog posts are about tools:

• Client Reactivation Letter
• Thank-You Note
• Postcards

Implication: Entrepreneurs (like you?) are busy. They would rather use a tool to grow their business than learn a skill.

Insight #2: Simple marketing tools are good

Take another look at the 3 most-popular marketing tools I've written about:

• Client Reactivation Letter
• Thank-You Note
• Postcards

What do they have in common? They are SIMPLE.

If you can read and speak English clearly, you can write and mail a Client Reactivation Letter to your past clients ... a Thank-You Note to prospects, partners, and clients ... and Postcards to anyone.

Implication: You don't need super-sophisticated technology to build a business that supports you in style. You need only use a few simple tools consistently.

Insight #3: Direct mail is the marketing tool of successful entrepreneurs

Take another look. What do these tools have in common?

• Client Reactivation Letter
• Thank-You Note
• Postcards

They are printed on paper and arrive in your mailbox, with a stamp. They are real mail. And they get real results.

By mailing a few simple letters to reactivate past clients, you reap windfalls from the buyers you have already "bought and paid for" -- this is incredibly profitable.

By mailing thank-you notes to prospects, partners, and clients, you demonstrate your gratitude for the time, attention, and money they give you. This increases your sales conversions, your client retention, and your referrals -- not to mention the self-esteem of you and the recipients of your thank-you notes.

By mailing postcards to anyone, you stand apart from the 99% of other entrepreneurs who are content to stop at email, texts, tweets, or other ephemeral online communications. A postcard is a simple, tangible reminder of you and your message.

Implication: Direct mail is proof that you're running a real business. That's a good thing.

One last thing. If you own a business, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting to be shipped to you by U.S. Mail. You can try it Free. Click here now.

The Lead Generation Kit That Works Wonders

The word "kit" has always appealed to me.

It conjures up all sorts of childhood memories, like these ...

As a kid, I loved doing magic shows for my parents and friends. Never got good enough to charge admission, though.

This electronics kit was too safe. No matter how diligently I rewired it, I couldn't electrocute my little brothers.

NOW we're talking -- danger, danger! Scorched walls, chlorine gas, human experiments. Among my favorite childhood memories.

Okay, even if your formative years weren't as disturbing as mine, I'll bet the word "kit" has fun, positive connotations for you. And for your prospects, too.

Which is the point of this blog post.

If you want to get the attention of your prospects and make an emotional connection, why not deliver your lead-generation materials in the form of a kit?

Give them a bag, a box, or a tube. Include a CD, DVD, printed reports, tools, folders -- tangible stuff people can touch and feel. A kit.

Doing so can instantly set you apart and generate more leads for your business. Which leads to more sales of your product or service.

Exhibit A: Here's my lead generation magnet for the last 5 years (and counting), the decidedly odd and intriguing ...

I ship a free Client Cloning Kit to any qualified prospect who owns a real business in the U.S. (No part-timers, MLMs, or "wantrepreneurs," please.)

Yes, it looks like a pipe bomb. Which ALWAYS causes a stir when it arrives by mail.

It ALWAYS gets opened. It ALWAYS gets my prospects' attention. And it has MORE than paid for itself in new business for me.

Meanwhile, other marketing thought leaders give out digital downloads and special reports. Hey, more power to 'em. I hope they never change.

Cool packaging in the form of a kit is a Marketing Multiplier. It's a little thing that can deliver big profits. It's simple. And you can do it today.

Speaking of cool packaging, here's another, the Marketing Multipliers Welcome Box ...

If you own a business, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting to be shipped to you. You can try it Free. Click here now.

The Marketing Power of a Public Promise

I just got back from a week in Japan.

One of the first things I saw when I got off the airplane at Haneda airport was a sign in the men’s bathroom that said, “Today’s janitor is Yamashita Mayumi.” Take a look ...

There's a phone number to call to let them know what you think about the cleanliness of the bathroom.

And guess what? That bathroom was spotless. The counter next to the sink was cleaner than my dining room table. I could have eaten lunch off it.

Why? Because there were serious consequences for Mayumi if she wasn’t doing her job.

That's the power of a public promise.

Now. How can you use this idea in your marketing?

A simple way is to put your direct phone number on all the correspondence that leaves your business -- emails, invoices, receipts, anything going out to customers or clients. Include a message that says, “If you have questions or concerns, here's my phone number. Call it, even on weekends.”

Here's how Keith Lee, president of American Retail Supply, does it. On his company website and in his correspondence is this message:

"Every person at American Retail Supply is empowered to Make You Happy. If at any time you feel we have failed to Make You Happy, or if you ever have a question or concern, please call us right away at 800-426-5708.

"If you're still not happy, please call me on my direct line at 253-859-7310."

And guess what? If Keith gets a call on his direct line, somebody's butt is on the line. Because a call to him means one of his employees failed to make a customer happy. According to Keith, this almost never happens.

Again, the power of a public promise. 

So think: How can you make a public promise to your customers or clients?

Try it. Then see if your sales don’t take off as a result.

By the way, a public promise costs you nothing to implement. It's a little thing that can deliver big profits for your business. That makes it a perfect Marketing Multiplier.

And if you own a service business, you can get a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers delivered, at no cost, if you hurry. Visit www.MarketingMultipliers.com

How to Get One More Hour of Productive Time Every Day -- Guaranteed

What would it mean to you to gain an extra hour of productive time every day?

That's an extra 5 hours a week -- 250 hours a year.

That's equal to more than 30 full 8-hour working days a year, by the way.

Forget adding an extra day during leap year ...

... this is like adding an extra month to the calendar every year!

Could you use some of that extra time to build your business?

I think you could.

Well, here's what this is about: It's a little mind game I call the Daily Time Expander.

And if you play along with me for one week and don't get back at least one extra hour of productive each day, I'll write a check for $100 to your favorite charity.

Do I have your attention? Good.

Here's what to do: Grab your smart phone. Look at the bottom of the home screen. See the  email icon there? Move it!

Where to? Someplace where you won't see it -- and that little red number telling you how many emails you have to read -- every time you pick up your phone.

I moved my email icon 4 screens deep on my phone and then I buried it in a little folder, called Games.

As a result, I cannot be distracted by email when I look at my phone. I have to go hunting for it. And this is the simple secret that can save you an hour of productive time every day: Never let yourself get sucked into email when you pick up your cell phone.

And when you do the math, avoiding email like this can easily save you one hour a day.

One reason? Emails are like mice or cockroaches: There’s never just one. And once you start composing replies to emails, setting reminders to reply to the replies, visiting stray web sites -- 5, 10, or 15 times a day -- that always burns at least an hour a day of valuable time.

Now. This idea is more than interesting. This is potentially life changing for you. So I want to make sure you try it.

That's why I'm making you this very public challenge: Move the email icon off the home screen of your smart phone and keep it that way for 5 working days in a row. If you don't save at least 5 hours of time you otherwise would have wasted getting sucked into email, I will donate $100 to the charity of your choice.

Just send me a short note by mail. Include your contact info and the name of your charity. I will make the donation and email you the receipt to prove it. Here's my mailing address:

Kevin Donlin
Guaranteed Marketing
7455 France Ave. S., #263
Edina, MN 55435

This is a very public challenge. There's no hiding for me. And I hope you put this idea to the test.

By the way, The Daily Time Expander is the first of 11 marketing tools you can get for free, if you hurry, at www.MarketingMultipliers.com

What does time have to do with marketing? Everything.

Because, as Dr. Bernie Siegel once said, time isn't money -- time is everything.

Your time and your marketing are inextricably linked. If you can't manage your time, you can't market your business. So the first thing I want to do is free up at least 5 more hours each week for you to get more new clients. And that's what The Daily Time Expander does for you.

For Free Access to this and 10 other tools, visit www.MarketingMultipliers.com

Do What THEY Love And The Money Will Follow

You've heard it said, "Do what you love and the money will follow."

But here's another version that may be more profitable for your business: "Do what THEY love and the money will follow."

It's true.

If your clients love it and they want it, you should deliver it. IF it's within reason, legal, ethical, and won't drive you crazy.

Case in point: This video.

I'm a writer. I'm not a TV personality or an extrovert. I hate making videos.

I’d rather have my teeth drilled at the fifty yard line of the Superbowl, by a dental hygienist who looks like Ernest Borgnine and is wearing boxing gloves, than make a video.

But my clients -- the people who put a roof over my head and a clean shirt on my back -- LOVE watching videos.

So, because it's within reason, legal, ethical, and won't drive me (too) crazy, I've learned to love making videos.

And, by the way, after making more videos than ever last year ... I had my best year in business. Recession and collectivist politicians be damned. Video ain't so bad.

Moral: Find out what your clients love. Give it to them. Even if, at first, you hate it. Because you may learn to love it.

And this is important: All growth comes beyond your comfort zone. Growth is, by definition, uncomfortable. Making videos has forced me to grow -- intellectually and profitably.

As a result, I actually love making videos. Go figure.

One last thing: Do you own a business?

Get your own box of 11 Marketing Multipliers delivered Free -- Click Here.

Postcards: The Insanely Simple (and Effective) Marketing Tool

Here's a story about a shocking pink postcard that might change the game for your business.

The postcard is from my good friend Vance Morris. The letters "DYGYSD" stand for "Did you get your 'stuff' done?"

Vance and I are in the same mastermind group and we hold each other accountable for achieving our goals. Every 7-10 days, he drops in unexpectedly to see how I'm doing. Thanks, Vance.

But in addition to holding me accountable, Vance is being memorable and getting my full attention with this postcard. That's something you can NOT do with an email.

And that's the point of this blog post: As a business owner, anytime you catch yourself thinking, "I'll just send an email" to your prospects or clients, think again. Can you send that same message by postcard? If so do that. 

Send a postcard, in addition to or instead of an email. You'll get more attention and better results. 

And no, I don't mean Send Out Cards or some other robotic crap. Write the message on the postcard. By hand. And mail it. With a stamp.

I keep a collection of postcards on hand and mail one almost every day. Whether it's for holidays or to thank people for referrals, a postcard is a simple tactical tool that's quick and easy.

Plus, a postcard can be physically held and is difficult to ignore -- completely different from an email.

Another nice thing is that postcards are a simple tool. They are pretty much goof proof. They require almost no skills to deploy correctly. Just like striking a match.

Postcards are simple, inexpensive, and they fit into any marketing strategy you may have.

All of which make postcards a true Marketing Multiplier -- little tools that can deliver big profits.

Now. Do you own a business in the U.S.?

If so, get your own box of 11 Marketing Multipliers delivered FREE at www.MarketingMultipliers.com

What's the Story of Your Business?

What's the story of your business?

Why did you start out?

What problem were you trying to solve when you first opened your doors?

You should be able to answer that question. Because the story of your business can separate you from every other business in any industry, in any city, anywhere on earth.

The story of your business is like your fingerprint -- it’s unique to you. It’s a rich vein of ideas you can mine and use to spice up all of your marketing materials, especially the Home and About Us pages on your website.

And here’s a harsh fact: If you don’t have a story, you probably don’t have a business.

With a good story that’s rich in interesting details, your clients and customers can better connect with you on a human level. Your story gives people more reasons to want to know, like, trust, and buy from you.

Here's a story to illustrate all this talk about ... stories.

FreshBooks is now a thriving company, with over 5,000,000 customers served in 120 countries. But it was started accidentally in 2003, as the solution to one man's problem with invoicing.

From the FreshBooks website:

The FreshBooks story begins back in January 2003, when Mike McDerment was running a four person design agency. When it came to billing clients, Word was frustrating to use and wasn’t built to create good looking invoices. Then one day something happened that makes every record-keeper cringe: he accidentally saved over an old invoice. Knowing there had to be a better way, he created it himself. Over the next two weeks he coded up a solution that became the foundation of what is now FreshBooks.

The road hasn’t been easy. It took over a year to bring the product to market. After 24 months, there were only 10 paying customers and revenues of $99 per month. The company moved into Mike’s parents’ basement and for the next 3.5 years, despite all the evidence pointing to failure, they carried on. Why? They discovered a passion for serving our customers, our company and working together.

If you're a business owner -- FreshBooks' ideal client -- you can identify with McDerment’s story. The frustration when he accidentally erased an invoice. His persistence in creating a solution to fix the problem, then gutting it out for more than 5 years to build a new company, in the face of evidence “pointing to failure.”

After reading that story, who would you rather give your money to, FreshBooks or QuickBooks?

Of course, FreshBooks. See my point?

There’s marketing power in a good story about your business

Here’s another story. Last year I opened a new business unit to help entrepreneurs who can’t afford my copywriting. Because my time is extremely limited, it doesn’t come cheap. My copywriting fees typically range from $4,995 to $39,995.

So I created a club for entrepreneurs, called Marketing Multipliers.

Every month, I ship members a new tool that delivers extra profits, just like my copywriting does. But because I can make one tool and distribute many, I can serve hundreds of members. So the fee is trivial -- only $29.95 a month. Any serious business owner can afford that. Especially when the first month is free.

That’s the story of why I started Marketing Multipliers.

Why did you start your business?

Answer that question and your marketing becomes more effective, for the same amount of time and effort.

Marketing Multipliers Success Story: Vance Morris

Vance Morris is a smart guy.

A former executive and trainer at Walt Disney World, he owns three businesses in Maryland and has clients around the world.

Vance also speaks at trade shows, conventions, and events around America.

Last year, he was awarded Marketer of The Year by Glazer Kennedy Insider Circle (GKIC), whose members are some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs (I'm member #750, dating back 18 years).

So I was pleasantly blown away when Vance sent me this video explaining how just one of the tools in my Marketing Multipliers program put an extra $5,000 in his bank account.

Take a look ...

 ... then, if you own a business and you want to grow faster, try Marketing Multipliers FREE.

Money Back Guarantees: How to Grow Your Business Faster

Want to grow your business?

Guarantee your work ...




Money-back guarantees are not new or high tech. Maybe that’s why they’re over-looked or under-used by most entrepreneurs.

But they’ve made millions for successful mail-order companies, like L.L. Bean and Land’s End.

And guarantees were key to the early success of FedEx, Amazon, and Zappos, to name a few.

If your clients are mostly satisfied now, there’s nothing to worry about. By offering a risk-free guarantee, you’ll simply call more attention to the quality you already have. Make the strongest promise you can comfortably live up to, and feature it prominently in all your marketing materials -- your Web site, advertisements, letterhead, business cards, on your telephone hold message, etc.

Of course, if you offer a guarantee, some people will take advantage of you. But if you double your sales with a guarantee, will you really care?

Besides ... you already have a guarantee. Here's why: If an unhappy client calls with a problem, you will fix it, replace it or refund part (or all) of their purchase. Otherwise, they will tell the world, starting with their friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter ... not to mention Yelp and GooglePlus reviews.

In short, you can NOT afford even one unhappy client if you want to stay in business. Refunding a disgruntled client today is a bargain in the long run.

So, here's what I suggest: Make your guarantee a focal point in your marketing efforts.

Boldly spread the word that you have no unhappy clients. Because unhappy clients get their money back. To the extent that you do this, you’ll enjoy a competitive edge. Your courage will pay you back with more new clients, sales, and profits.


Now get a box of 11 tools to build your business, delivered FREE by U.S. Mail. Try Marketing Multipliers Here

Your Marketing: Sad Charade or Moving Parade?

Want more clients?

Here's an idea: Do more marketing that works.

And avoid the sad charade of flitting from one tactic to another.

You can do it in 5 simple steps:

1) Look through your database -- Infusionsoft, Salesforce, Excel spreadsheet, whatever -- and find the names of your last 10 clients.

2) Now, ask yourself: "What worked in my marketing? What did I say or do that caused them to buy?"

3) Write down the answer for all 10 clients. Examples: Called after I got their name by referral ... mailed them a Client Reactivation Letter ... sent them Email #3 in my series of 10 ... etc.

4) Then, ask yourself: "In my marketing today, am I doing what works?"

5) Oooops. In almost every case, you're NOT doing something today that brought new clients before. You simply forgot or got bored with it.

Example: You mailed an article to a prospect 3 months ago that caused them to call and buy ... but you haven't mailed that article since.

Let me repeat: In almost EVERY case, you've stopped doing marketing that works. Because you forgot or got bored with it.

Solution: Pick one marketing tactic that worked before but you haven't done since and do it TODAY, or at least schedule it. Then add it to your processes so you don't forget it again.

What's the moral of the story?

As advertising demi-god David Ogilvy wrote, "You aren't advertising to a standing army, you are advertising to a moving parade."

What's old to you is new to prospects who are parading past your business. If something works in your marketing, keep doing it until your prospects tell you otherwise.

When you understand this, you realize that you're probably sitting on a pile of latent revenue in your business. To tap that revenue, all you have to do today is more of the marketing that worked before.

One more thing: If you found this idea helpful, I've got a box of 11 marketing tools I'd like to ship you. You can try them free, but only if you hurry -- learn more at www.MarketingMultipliers.com

The Flexible Flyer: Advertising Staple for Any Business

Every member in my Marketing Multipliers program gets a monthly critique from me of any one piece of advertising they've created.

Because having another set of expert eyes on your marketing projects can only help you do better.

The flyer below was submitted by one member.

How would you improve it?

Here's what I suggested to him ...

The main area to improve here is this: CLARITY.

Example: the headline is a bit hard to read because it's printed on that curvy ribbon.

Dump the opening doggerel about "Halloween is past," etc. That's just clearing your throat and it gets in the way of the sales message.

If this is a sale, what are the savings? That's nowhere to be found. If the $2.70 price is less than usual, do the math and tell me how much I'm saving by ordering 200 cards.

Very important: there is no clear call to action. Do you want me to call you or visit a website? Both? That should be down below right above the deadline. Make it clear and bold it.

There's a good offer in there somewhere. With a bit of refinement and a lot more clarity, you can unlock the selling power of this flyer.

Once improved, I would use this promotion in all possible media: email, direct mail, web site, Facebook, taped in the windows of neighboring businesses ... and inserted into ALL mail and orders leaving your shop. You can even add it to the hold message on your phone ("Ask about our annual Christmas card special, going on now.")


Bottom line: A flyer, done right, is an advertising staple for any business. It's a little thing that can deliver big profits for you. That makes it a Marketing Multplier.

If you're an entrepreneur and you want to grow, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. You can try them Free -- click here.

My Free Delta Upgrade

I got a free upgrade today on Delta flight 2009 from Minneapolis to Denver.

Now, when you think "Delta" you don't normally think "free upgrade" in the same sentence ... or even the same day.

But I did indeed receive a free upgrade today, courtesy of the captain.

Can you guess what it was?

First, here's what the captain did after the doors closed. He walked out of the cockpit, took the microphone from the flight attendant, and said the following:

• "Hello, I'm Captain David Rausch. I don't want to bug you later so here are all the announcements now. Do I have your attention? (Us: Silence.) Do I have your attention?? (Us: "Yes, captain!") Good ...
• "First of all, thank you for joining us this evening and putting up with the TSA monkey business to get here
• "I love to fly, and I'll get you there safely because I never text and fly
• "We'll hit a few bumps over the Rockies. Nothing dangerous, just a little annoying. I'll do my best to keep it smooth
• "Finally, there are a couple military members on board so let's thank them for their service."

At that point, the whole plane broke into applause (for the military members) and smiles (for the captain).

It wasn't Tonight Show-level material, but Captain Rausch's monologue was still remarkable (at least for Delta). Simply by showing a little personality, he transformed the dull, robotic announcements that every passenger instinctively ignores into an experience. At no cost to Delta.

That's the free upgrade I received -- an experience. It made me sit down and write this out as soon as I got to my hotel room.

Here's Captain Rausch. He kindly agreed to let me snap his picture, after I first shook his hand.

Maybe pilots with personality who stand up and introduce themselves before a flight are common on Southwest, or Virgin, but this is a first for me in 30 years of flying Northwest/Delta. Bravo.

By the way, service is a little thing that can lead to big profits for your business. That makes it a Marketing Multiplier.

There's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. And you can try them Free -- click here.

Paper Email, Image Suicide, and a 28,400% ROI

I created Marketing Multipliers to share some of the tools I use to grow revenues for my clients and myself.

Example: The Paper Email.

It's something I print and mail to clients and prospects when I want to make absolutely, positively sure they get my email messages.

Because, even on a good day, your email stands less than a 1 in 4 chance of being delivered, opened, and read, according to MailChimp.

I don't know about you, but I think those odds suck. If a <25% open-and-read rate is standard, then even the Pony Express in 1860 could do better than email in 2015.

So I don't play the email game. And neither should you. At least, not exclusively.

Instead, if a message is really important, I not only send it by email, I also mail it and/or call the recipient.

Case in point: The Paper Email below. It's a printed version of an email, spiced up with my weird picture. I mailed it -- in an envelope, with a stamp -- to a highly targeted list of prospects last week ...

... and in response, I got this email from a new client who had been trying to reach me:

Look at the subject of the email above that he forwarded to me: Did you get this email from Friday? When I picked up the phone and called him, he told me the problem wasn't my email not reaching him, but his email not reaching me.

BUT ... because I mailed him the paper email, he was motivated to email me back. And buy.

No paper email = no sale.

And I didn't mind committing what Bill Glazer calls, "image suicide" in my Paper Email by including a goofy picture of myself. Hey, if that's what it takes to get attention, no problem. Because, as David Ogilvy said, "You can't bore people into buying."

Okay, now let's run the numbers:

• Cost: $7 to mail 10 Paper Emails to a targeted list, including postage
• Revenue: $1,994 from a mini consulting project that will deliver $10,000 to $20,000 or more to my client -- or he won't pay
• ROI from this simplest of direct mail pieces: 28,400%, or $285 for every $1 invested

Not bad. That's the power of a simple Paper Email, one of 11 Marketing Multipliers tools you can try Free -- click here to learn how.

Person-to-Person Marketing in a Box

This is a very special unboxing of a very special something -- a CARE package I got from Brian Kurtz.

Back story: I attended Brian's Titans of Marketing event in 2014 and exchanged emails with him after. He included one of my productivity tips in his blog. I mailed him a thank-you note and he emailed me back, offering to send me a thank-you gift by mail.

What I got was ... huge. Awesome. Incredible. Watch the video to see me unbox it all.

To a copywriter like me, this stuff is priceless.

Here's the thing: Brian is teaching a super valuable lesson here on the art of P2P -- person-to-person -- marketing. 

Forget B2B or B2C marketing. In the end all marketing is really P2P -- person to person.

Brian Kurtz, a person, has just delivered an outrageous and totally unexpected amount of value to me, a person. And I want the whole world to know about it. That’s why I did this impromptu video and I'm even paying to drive traffic to it. This is what raving fans do.

Key: Brian invested time and attention to assemble all the parts of this package, hand-write the note to me, and put it in the mail. He could have outsourced it to a fulfillment house, but that would have been a package from a business, not a person. And I wouldn't be making this video.

You cannot buy the kind of raving fandom that I'm showing here. You cannot outsource it, either. 

But you can make an impact on others -- and spread your influence far and wide -- simply by making a direct, valuable, personal connection to another person today.

This is simple, but not easy. Yet Brian did it. Big time.

By the way ...

... I've created a club for entrepreneurs who want to grow. Every member gets a box of marketing tools delivered by mail every month. And you can try them free. Click here.