How To Leave Voicemail Messages That Have Prospects Begging To Meet You

Jill Konrath, founder of Selling to Big Companies – a web resource that helps professional services providers, consultants and salespeople win big contracts in the corporate market wrote a great article on how to leave a voicemail that I think is perfect.

Voicemail is a powerful marketing tool in two ways; if you leave a compelling, interesting voicemail you already stand out from everyone else and leaving a great voicemail will earn you valuable, uninterrupted time in front of your prospect or client.

I am also writing on this topic as I find myself returning too many calls only to find out I could have handled the request if I had been provided more details originally. Here is an example:

Fred: “Hi Mike, it’s Fred. Give me call when you are free.”
Mike: “Fred. It’s Mike. How are things?”
Fred: “Glad you called back so quickly. Would you please email me the photo of me?”
Mike: “$#%#&@#Q&”

If Fred’s original message had asked for the photo I could have emailed it to him and saved the time of calling for both him and me.

Jill’s points about email are a little different. She asks “Sick and tired of prospective clients never calling you back? Then it’s time to take a good hard look at what you’re doing - or not doing - that’s creating these results for you.”

Her example of a boring voicemail is as follows:

Hello, Mr/Ms __. This is __ calling.
I’m an account executive with __ company.
We do __.
Our service is leading edge, high quality and __.
I’d like to get together to learn more about how you do __.
And tell you about how our __ can help your business.
Please call me at __ to set up a time.

Jill goes on to write about making your emails ENTICING! “Being enticing is about saying or asking something in a manner that truly piques a prospective decision maker’s interest or curiosity.”

You must read the whole article to get the most out of it. The five key strategies she recommends are.:

1. Reference Your Research
2. State A Strong Value Proposition
3. Share An Insightful Idea
4. Dangle Important Information
5. Conclude With Confidence

Here is the example Jill uses highlighting all five points in a voicemail. It is not meant to be an actual message, but gives the tone:

“In reviewing your company’s website and marketing collateral, it became apparent to me that a critical issue you’re facing is…”

“After working with our firm, our average accounting client sees their prospect meeting-to-signed contract conversions increase by 35%, and their average dollar amount of services contracted increase by 13-18%.”"Over the past month, I’ve invested a great deal of time studying your website and what you’re trying to accomplish with it. Based on my analysis, I have some interesting ideas regarding how you could leverage it to create additional revenue opportunities.”

“We recently conducted a study of how your clients’ needs are changing relative to decisions on group life insurance. I’d like to set up a time to review some of the key points with you. I know people in your firm will be very interested in what we’ve uncovered.”

“While I can’t promise you the exact same results, I can assure you that it will be worth your time. My number is 651-429-1922. Give me a call and we’ll set up a time to get together.”

Jill offers a course available in an Audio Download on Creating Enticing Voicemails that focus on what it takes to create a customer-enticing voicemail message.
Specifically she covers:

1. How to avoid the most common mistakes sellers make that cause messages to be deleted before they’ve finished talking.
2. What it takes to immediately establish credibility with someone who would just as soon hang up the phone.
3. Three things that always pique a decision maker’s curiosity and are great to include in your voicemail messages.
4. What it takes to “close with confidence.”
5. Why preparing a script is absolutely essential and throwing it away before you call is just as important.
6. How to fine-tune your message so that it “zings”, but also sounds conversational.
7. How to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of your voicemails.

While I have never taken the course it sounds like a great idea for only $ 79.00.

This Is a Marketing Blog - No Really!

I interrupt this (almost) daily source of marketing information to clarify one thing.

You are reading a blog dedicated to the world of marketing.

Why state the obvious? Because I am not sure it is as obvious as we bloggers might think. I get a lot of funny looks when I mention to my peers and clients that I have a marketing blog and suggest they visit it. I get the distinct feeling they are playing along, but wish they could ask what a blog really is.

(Photo courtesy of ©Michael Bretherton)

In an article in MediaPosts’ Marketing Daily (subscribe here), Adrienne W. Fawcett reports that 8 Of 10 Americans Know About Blogs; Half Visit Them Regularly.

The study was carried out by Synovate eNation, which conducted the online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults and they reported that “The segmentation on awareness and usage, and on people having their own blogs, is driven by age, with obviously younger people more active in blogging.” Nearly 90% of 25- to-34-year-olds know what a blog is, compared to 64.5% of those age 65-plus. Similarly, 78.4% of 18- to-24-year-olds report they have visited a blog, compared to just 44.7% of older Americans.”

As I am turning 50 years old in less than 56 hours I am a little sensitive to the fact that only 44.7% of “older Americans” have visited a blog. Assuming Canadians are the same, less than half of my peers are even bothering to visit my blog. From now on I am targeting younger clients.

How many blogs are out there? Technorati reports there are 99.9 million blogs.

Which sex surfs blogs more? Nearly 60% of guys surf a variety of blogs, compared to 50% of women.

Who is blogging? Eight percent of Americans have their own blog.

Which sex has more blogs? Nearly 20% of women versus 14% of men have blogs, eNation reports.

So the next time someone asks if you know what a blog is you can say yes and if you are asked if you have ever visited a blog you can also answer in the affirmative because you have just read this article.

Now email all of your friends, young and old and recommend www.themarketingguy.wordpress.com.

Thanks

Direct Mail Idea 3 - Sports Schedule

What kind of marketing tool am I?

1. I last 8 months.
2. I am looked at at least 80 times in the 8 months.
3. Men love me.
4. I am always lying around where people are.

No it is not a Pamela Anderson 8 month calendar. It is a hockey team TV schedule. (Click on the thumbnails for a larger image)

It does not matter which sport you pick, the marketing benefits remain the same. People appreciate receiving things that are handy, informative, easy to read and useful so sending a branded calendar with a sports schedule is the perfect answer.

While this concept is not new, making it a TV schedule adds a new dimension. If your TV channels and broadcast rights are like the Vancouver Canucks you never know which station your team will be broadcast on. This handy card has the opponent, time of game and TV station.

In this case the Realtors have their branding on both sides and their slogan is reinforced each time someone refers to the card. It is a form of institutional advertising as it does not have a call to action, but simply reinforces the brand.

The card is mailed to thousands of homes in their marketing area and after a couple of years people look forward to it.

What does it cost?

Generally the design and layout is between $ 150 - $ 250 and the printing cost is $ 0.20 to $ 0.30 per postcard depending on quantity.

How do I distribute it?

It can be sent through admail, in an envelope addressed to your clients and prospects, as an insert in your local paper, through a flyer delivery service, left on the counter of local businesses or given away at local events. The most important thing is to get it into the hands of your clients and prospects.

How do you do this?

Researching the schedule is as easy as going to your local team’s website. I recommend a 4″ x 9″ postcard with full color on both sides. If the schedule is for a shorter season such as football, you can use the other side to publish a list of channels and their affiliates.

Or give me a call at 800-568-8338 or email me at marketinguy@shaw.ca and let me know which team you are interested in and I will send you a quote.

Primer on Marketing Email versus SPAM Email?

What is “spam”? SPAM is defined as “unsolicited commercial email”. 

So how do you differentiate your marketing email from Spam? Simply by obtaining the consent of the recipient prior to delivery, you differentiate yourself from Spam and are considered to be  a marketing email.  While the lack of consent is a key difference, Spam email frequently does not reveal the identity of the marketer and does not provide the recipient with a means of responding to the email or unsubscribing.

The rules are different depending on which country you live in.  As of 2007, Canada has neither federal or provincial legislation regulating SPAM, but rather the rule of thumb for email marketers is to err on the side of caution when it comes to privacy and permission-based email.  There is plenty of ambiguity in the current laws in Canada about emailing with and without permission, but in Canada consumers and the press have no hesitation in publicizing the names of organizations they deem to be spammers, even when they have broken no laws.

This all changes if Canadians are emailing consumers in the US because there, email Spam is governed by the US CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act). 

Effective January 1, 2004, CAN-SPAM is the authoritative legislation in the US that governs all email whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service, including content on a website.  A “transactional or relationship message” – email that facilitates an agreed-upon transaction or updates a customer in an existing business relationship – may not contain false or misleading routing information, but otherwise is exempt from most provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.

• CAN-SPAM may be enforced by federal and state law enforcements and ISPs.
• Rules may apply to non US companies.
• Fines can be huge ($11,000 per email).

So what exactly are the requirements and restrictions under the US CAN-SPAM Act for commercial email?

1. No deceptive headers, misleading content & false return addresses.
2. Subject line which accurately reflects the content of the email.
3. “From” with the name of the advertiser.
4. Clearly identify the message as an advertisement or solicitation.
5. Cannot use harvested or algorithm based email addresses.
6. Valid return address or link to permit recipient to opt-out of future email solicitations from that sender.
7. Comply with opt-out requests within 10 business days of receipt & the email address or web page must be functional for 30 days after the mailing.
8. Include sender’s physical postal address.
9. Do not use email addresses harvested by automated means.

Australia

In 2003, Australia implemented their SPAM ACT 2003 which regulates commercial email as follows:

The main elements contained in the Bill are:

1. a prohibition on sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages which have an Australian link. The penalty provision is aimed at messages which are sent from Australia or from overseas to Australia;
2. a prohibition on sending commercial electronic messages which have an Australian link unless they include accurate information about the individual or organisation who authorised the sending of the message;
3. a prohibition on sending commercial electronic messages which have an Australia link unless they include a functional unsubscribe facility;
4. a prohibition on the supply, acquisition or use of address-harvesting software or a harvested-address list;
5. a civil sanctions regime. These prohibitions are civil penalty provisions, not criminal offences. Breach of a provision may attract a substantial monetary penalty.

UK

In 2003 the UK government implemented the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.  In short it outlines marketers cannot send, or instigate the sending of, unsolicited marketing material by electronic mail to an individual subscriber unless the subscriber has previously notified them that they consent, for the time being, to receiving such communications. There is an exception to this rule which has been widely referred to as the ‘soft opt-in‘ (Regulation 22(2) refers).
• You must not allow your line to be used to breach Regulation 22(2) (Regulation 22(4) refers).
• Marketers cannot send, or instigate the sending of any marketing by electronic mail (whether solicited or unsolicited) to any subscriber(whether corporate or individual) where:
a) the identity of the sender has been disguised or concealed; or
b) a valid address to which you can send an opt-out request has not been provided (Regulation 23 refers).

Truth in Advertising - Hide it or Celebrate it?

When a Realtor is faced with a marketing a home that has an obvious negative is it better to hide the blemish or celebrate it? My opinion in most cases is to celebrate the fact and make the most of it.

Example 1

I wrote a Just Listed flyer for a home listed at $ 2.295 million with a really steep, curved driveway that was hard enough to walk down let alone drive down. The driveway was such a deal breaker that it was better to warn people rather than waste their time coming to see the home. (Click on thumbnail for larger version)

The Headline was:
“CAUTION! Do not read about this fabulous house if a steep driveway is going to pose a problem”. (and the word Steep was on a 45 degree angle)

The rest of the copy was:
“That is what you call truth in advertising as there is no way you are going to miss the driveway when you come to see this home. It will take a bit of getting used to…but the good news is you won’t have many peddlars coming to the door.”

Then I wrote about all of the features. We sent out 5,000 of these flyers and then sent out another without the “steep driveway” part and 174 days later the house remains unsold. The great news is a lot of people contacted the Realtors and told them how much they appreciated their honesty as they too had a home with a potential problem.

Example 2

One other interesting situation was a 2600 s.f home with one bedroom and one other room incorporating the dining, living, kitchen and family room which was listed at $ 1.149 million. Selling a one bedroom home is not easy in a family neighborhood so I stated the obvious (Click on thumbnail for larger version):

“JUST LISTED” Ultimate in Adult Living - Looking for something truly spectacular? Great entertaining space, views, a bright open design?”

And the kicker!

“…..no room for the kids to come back to?”

An empty-nest couple living in the area read the line about the kids not having a bedroom to come back to and viewed the home right away. They ended up buying it.

So I’m batting .500 with honesty.

Personal Branding Magazine

I don’t usually endorse publications, but Dan Schwabel of the Personal Branding Blog has started publishing an online magazine that I think deserves a look.

Personal Branding Magazine is about you, your brand and your professional career development. With a collection of some of the most talented thought leaders on the internet, this magazine exposes information that you can relate to and use in everyday life. Personal Branding is not only the future of recruitment, but a necessity in a world driven by social communities, both online and off.

Explore topics such as blogging, social networking, multimedia and advice on how to have a successful job search. Each issue will give you the tools and resources needed to differentiate yourself from the competition.

It is sold as an electronic periodical (PDF) with 4 issues per each year February - May - August - November and the best news is 100% of profit goes to charity (American Cancer Society).

The list of articles include :

5 Personal Branding Tips
How to Choose a Brandable Domain Name
Social Networking
Video Blogging
Special Report: Top Corporate Brands of 2007

The premier edition features articles from a stellar cast:

Dan Schawbel Publisher	Personal Branding Blog
Guy Kawasaki	Guykawasaki.com
Neil Patel	QuickSprout
Lyn Chamberlin	SkyePR
Michelle Dumas	DistinctiveWeb
Rick Mahn	Rickmahn.com
Chris Brogan	ChrisBrogan
Rob Cuesta	Branded Leader
Liz Pabon	Branding Maven
David Frazer	Bizz-Blogger.net
Charles Lau	Charleslau.com
Scott Bradley	Effective Networking

Google Maps as a Marketing Tool

Have you ever wondered about the impact Google Maps might be having on your business? Well now it can’t be ignored!

There is a new business opportunity being offered by Google entitled “Earn money helping put local businesses on Google Maps”. It is being called the Google Local Business Referrals program and the results are going to have an impact on your marketing. Google is hiring thousands of Google Business Referral Representatives to visit businesses all over the U.S. to collect key business information and take a few photos.

The representatives then upload that information to Google and in turn they send the businesses a postcard with the information collected so they can verify its accuracy. After verification, the information will appear for free on Google Maps. You can update your business information and photos at any time online through the Google Maps Local Business Center. Interested in becoming a Representative? Click here.

How Does Google Maps Work Now?

In the past when someone searched for a business on Google Maps they would get a map like the one below. In this case I searched for Vitamins in North Vancouver(click on thumbnail for a larger image):

Now I can’t tell if the following search is the result of the new Local Business Referrals program, but what a difference when I did a search for Vitamins in Seattle. The first entry was for PCC Natural Markets and it had a five star rating. (click on thumbnail for a larger image)

When I clicked on More Info this is what was displayed (click on thumbnail for a larger image):

And then I clicked on Reviews (click on thumbnail for a larger image):

So how do you integrate Google Maps into your marketing?

Go to the Google Maps Local Business Center and register your business. I did and the following is my new listing:

It is great to put my business on the map. (It can take up to 4 weeks for your listing to become active so I am not a somebody yet)

If you enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss the next one click here to get my marketing posts by email as soon as they are published. You will be prompted for an email address and you are set to go.

Heard On TV

Have you ever watched a TV show and heard a song that you like, but didn’t know the name? Well now you can go to Heard On TV and not only find the name, but in most cases can hear the song and find sources to download the song.

heardontv.com is a user generated website centered on music heard on TV in your favorite TV shows. Just watched a TV show, looking for the music you just heard? Look no further. And if you already know the title of a song you just heard, go ahead and contribute!

I did not find it the easiest site to navigate, but once I got used to it I really enjoyed reminiscing through the music of old shows.

Marketing With Your Email Signature

To use email effectively I recommend email stationery such as our service at inboxFX, (see link above too) but in addition, an email signature is almost as important. An email signature is the few lines of contact information that many people put at the bottom of every email. Sometimes these are sent automatically with each email and can be set up in your email program. Here is a good reference for setting up a signature in Outlook.

Nothing is more important in emailing than making it easy for people to contact you. Why send people to another program or a Rolodex when they can simply read it at the bottom of your email and pick up the phone? In addition you are missing a perfect opportunity to promote your business.

Mitch Wagner wrote an article in Information Week called “What Does Your Email Signature Say About You” which references a number of different studies and articles. His first observation was:

“Your e-mail signature reflects how powerful you are. If you were profiled on 60 Minutes, you don’t need no steenkin’ e-mail signature.

The primary purpose of an e-mail sig is to let people know who you are and how to contact you. If you’re really, really important, your e-mail recipients had better already know that.”

Mitch goes on to observe that “the longer your email signature the lower down the food chain you are” and gives the following example:

Some people put a whole novel in their sig:

1. Their full name, including “Jr.” or “Sr.”
2. Job title, which generally includes both the words “deputy” and assistant.
3. Street-mail address with mail stop.
4. Business phone number, with different versions for people dialing from the internal corporate PBX vs. people dialing from outside.
5. E-mail address. ‘Cuz it’s not like it’s in the “From:” line of every e-mail or anything.
6. And finish it off with an inspirational quote from Battlestar Galactica.

How and Why Should You Use an Email Signature?

There are two kinds of signatures in my opinion; informative and promotional. Everyone should have an informative signature that provides all of the necessary contact information like this:

name
title
company
address
phone
toll free phone
fax number
website url
email address

To make it a promotional email as suggested by Alexandria Brown you can add:

• an offer for a free report, sample or product you offer
• an offer for a free consultation or trial offer
• a company announcement (new client, new product, award won, etc.)
• a hyperlink to your latest press release, article, or Web site feature
• an invitation to subscribe to your free e-newsletter

Keep your email signature to 8 lines or less and tailor it to your client’s needs. If you are working with clients over email 90% of the time, a company address might not be as important. If you are sending a more personal email you might want to delete some of the information. I also recommend you change it frequently to freshen it up.

I send emails around the world and rarely meet with a client so I exclude mailing information, but want them to know where I am located. Here is what my signature looks like:

Mike Blaney
Marketing Guy
www.inboxfx.com for email stationery
www.mikeblaney.com for marketing ideas
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-618-5512 cell
800-568-8338 toll free
604-628-380 fax

Here is an example from Allison Nazarian, a copywriter:

Allison Nazarian
Get It In Writing, Inc.
Buy my new book: Copywriting 101 for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, Coaches & Consultants
p: 561.989.8555
w: www.GetItInWriting.biz
blog: http://www.getitinwriting.biz/blog/

Here is another example from a friend of mine who is in the automated compliance business:

J. Trum Van Middlesworth
Managing Director
Automated Compliance Solutions
(P) 781 270 6800, Ext 35
(C) 617 680 6064
trum@complianceacs.com
ACS: Automated Compliance for a Regulated World
Emagineering: Collaborative Program Management

Tips on Writing A News Release

This is not intended to be a step-by-step instruction on writing a press release, but more of an introduction about what to expect and answer some of the questions I had before I wrote my first press release.

A news release or press release is known in the news business as a “handout.” News people are used to rewriting handouts and they don’t get upset if the news release is not a perfect composition, but they do get upset if the facts are not all there.

The smaller the news outlet the more likely they will want to use your news releases without re-writing it.

The First Paragraph

The first paragraph is a summary of what the release is about. In the trade it is called the “lead” and these important three lines (never more than four!) determine whether your release sinks or swims.

It is important that the lead answers all the important questions: What? Why? Who? When? Where?

The Rest of the News Release

Write the rest of your news release in logical order with simple sentences in short paragraphs. Did you answer all these questions (if appropriate)?

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

Some Simple Rules

1. Use the full proper name of a person, or of anything, only once to avoid clutter in the story.
2. Spell out the numbers one through nine except for dates, time, ages or money. For all other numbers use Arabic numerals: 10, 11, 12, etc.
3. Never write, “11 a.m. in the morning.” Write “11 o’clock in the morning” or “11 a.m.” Don’t be redundant!
4. Formal titles are capitalized if they precede a name. (District Superintendent Ralph Smith).
5. They should conform to wire service (Associated Press or United Press International) rules of style.

Submitting a Press release

Every news organization has a person who screens the flow of incoming releases, calls and visits, determines which have news potential, and directs how the news organization will respond.

There are assignment editors, city editors, feature editors, news editors, and more. Radio and television often use the word “director” instead of “editor.” Whatever the title, this is the gatekeeper. Learn who it is and cultivate that person.

After you’ve made the initial contact, reach these people with simple messages on news release paper. Email versions also must be simple. Keep in mind graphics and attachments may cause newsroom delays or disruptions.

Additional Notes

Use a press release only when you have something worth taking an editor’s time. An editor will ignore everything that comes from the same boring source.

News organizations are trying to interest an audience so if your release will help them do that, they will use it. If it won’t, trash it yourself.

In general, use the following titles to address your releases, unless you know a particular organization uses a different title that would serve better:

Daily newspapers: City Editor
Weekly newspaper: Editor
Shoppers: Editor
Magazines: Editor
Radio Stations: News Department
Television Stations: News Director

Timing

Consider to whom you are sending it. Most feature departments (such as travel sections) and magazines have deadlines long before things appear in print. They need to get releases in advance. Weekly papers need releases just before — not just after — their weekly deadlines. The daily media usually have reduced staffs on weekends and are better equipped to act on a release received on a weekday. Time your mailings accordingly.

Resources:

eHow
wikiHow
PRWeb Direct