Thursday, December 30, 2004
5 Quick Tips For Writing Successful Advertisements
Marketing Tip of the Week
1. Translate features into benefits
"Take advantage of our FREE 30 minute consultation. Come down and meet our staff and have any questions answered about how hypnosis works and can help you to stop smoking forever."
2. Write from the 'you' perspective not the 'I' perspective
Say, "Everyone has different needs. You may just want to lose a few pounds, or you may desire an entire lifestyle change. You can choose from three different weight loss plans, each specifically tailored to get you to your desired level of health and fitness. I will personally help you to choose the one that will serve you best during your free consultation session."
Don't say, "I offer three weight loss packages."
3. Communicate creditability.
Creditability can be demonstrated with length of time in business, the size of your company, the number of customers served, testimonials from satisfied customers, your membership and influential associations, guarantees and warranties and all of these things combined.
When you do this, remember tip number 2. Tell them how this creditability benefits them using the 'you' perspective.
Of these the testimonials are the most powerful. ALWAYS use them whenever possible. You are collecting testimonials aren't you?
4. Remember that stories sell, facts only tell
Whenever you can use first person stories, third party stories about customers and anecdotes to make key selling points, do so.
As hypnotists you know very well the power of metaphor, well it works in your marketing and advertising too. If you have a client who comes back to you with a story about how their life has changed remarkably, use this story in your marketing. In this business heart warming stories happen all the time, and people can connect on an emotional level with such stories.
A story is also much more captivating than a bunch of bullet point items and facts and figures.
It is worth repeating... Stories sell, facts only tell.
5. Use long copy in your advertising
Don't be afraid of long copy. Ad copy should be long enough to tell your story effectively and persuasively.
One of the most famous figures in advertising history once said "Advertising is simply salesmanship in print." This holds true today. Your advertising is selling your services, it is like your sales force working to bring you qualified leads and clients.
You wouldn't limit a flesh and blood salesperson to just a few sentences and expect them to convince anyone to buy, so why would you put a limit on what you can say in your ads? Imagine if you were only allowed 5 minutes to do your pre-talk.
If anyone takes the time to look at your ad, they are going to want as much information to make a decision as possible. The more you give them, the more likely they will be to do business with you.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
1. Translate features into benefits
Don't just give information and assume that the reader will correctly interpret it and realize how it brings value to their life.
Example: You offer a 'Free Consultation'. You need to clearly articulate how this is beneficial to them."Take advantage of our FREE 30 minute consultation. Come down and meet our staff and have any questions answered about how hypnosis works and can help you to stop smoking forever."
2. Write from the 'you' perspective not the 'I' perspective
Nobody buys anything unless they perceive a direct benefit to themselves. The question must be answered "what's in it for me?"
If you spend all the time telling them how wonderful you are, instead how your being so wonderful is good for THEM, they will not spend a dime with your business.Say, "Everyone has different needs. You may just want to lose a few pounds, or you may desire an entire lifestyle change. You can choose from three different weight loss plans, each specifically tailored to get you to your desired level of health and fitness. I will personally help you to choose the one that will serve you best during your free consultation session."
Don't say, "I offer three weight loss packages."
3. Communicate creditability.
Creditability can be demonstrated with length of time in business, the size of your company, the number of customers served, testimonials from satisfied customers, your membership and influential associations, guarantees and warranties and all of these things combined.
When you do this, remember tip number 2. Tell them how this creditability benefits them using the 'you' perspective.
Of these the testimonials are the most powerful. ALWAYS use them whenever possible. You are collecting testimonials aren't you?
4. Remember that stories sell, facts only tell
Whenever you can use first person stories, third party stories about customers and anecdotes to make key selling points, do so.
As hypnotists you know very well the power of metaphor, well it works in your marketing and advertising too. If you have a client who comes back to you with a story about how their life has changed remarkably, use this story in your marketing. In this business heart warming stories happen all the time, and people can connect on an emotional level with such stories.
A story is also much more captivating than a bunch of bullet point items and facts and figures.
It is worth repeating... Stories sell, facts only tell.
5. Use long copy in your advertising
Don't be afraid of long copy. Ad copy should be long enough to tell your story effectively and persuasively.
One of the most famous figures in advertising history once said "Advertising is simply salesmanship in print." This holds true today. Your advertising is selling your services, it is like your sales force working to bring you qualified leads and clients.
You wouldn't limit a flesh and blood salesperson to just a few sentences and expect them to convince anyone to buy, so why would you put a limit on what you can say in your ads? Imagine if you were only allowed 5 minutes to do your pre-talk.
If anyone takes the time to look at your ad, they are going to want as much information to make a decision as possible. The more you give them, the more likely they will be to do business with you.
Till next time, all the success possible to you!
Craig Eubanks
Director Sleepwalkers International
Hypnosis & NLP Practice Groups
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Discover The Goldmine Of Marketing Knowledge
Marketing Tip of the Week
THERE EXISTS AN ETERNAL FOUNTAIN OF IDEAS
Imagine having millions of dollars of marketing knowledge that you can access whenever you want. What would it be like to have a never ending fountain of new ideas as well as what-actually-works? How useful would it be to each day be able to learn a few ideas for free, that someone else had spent large sums of money to figure out?
All of that exists for you and is amazingly easy to access and take advantage of. In fact, it is so simple, you probably won't believe that the secret to access all this information, so that you too can harness it to create high octane success in your hypnosis practice, is to just ASK!
THE FUN BEGINS WITH CURIOUSITY
Those of you who have studied NLP, will know that Richard Bandler is famous for saying that the key piece to NLP is having a strong curiosity about how things work. Curiosity is am essential part of the NLP process known as Modeling. Modeling is the method from which the techniques of NLP were discovered.
As an entrepreneur and business owner, at the very least you should have that same curiosity about what really works in ALL businesses. In essence you will model what is successful, learn from it, and apply it to your business.
From now on, for as long as your are in business, you should make it a point everyday to talk to at least two people about how they run their business. Think of all the businesses you patronize, think of all the businesses you pass everyday, think of all the people at trade shows, networking groups, association meetings, toastmasters that you meet who have knowledge of a business that you can learn from.
These people represent collectively millions of dollars of real world marketing knowledge, and one of the easiest things to do is to get someone talking about themselves, their business, and what they do that makes it work.
TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF INNOVATION
So, how do you do this? Simple, start with what you already know... yourself. Anytime you buy something, a product or service, ask yourself questions like these:
Then begin the habit of talking to other businesses daily. Almost everyone you come in contact with works or has worked in some business. This is your chance to learn. I find it useful to hold the belief that everyone one I meet can teach me something, so why wouldn't I want to ask them questions such as:
I think by this point, you are getting the idea of how to make this work. You are modeling their knowledge and experience in such as way that you can understand it clearly.
Now you might think people would offended by all the questions, but actually the exact opposite is true. When you are truly curious about a person, they find it flattering that you are really interested. Most people only talk about themselves in a conversation, so if you go to a chamber of commerce mixer and ask each person about their business, you will get great responses.
TURN YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO GOLD!
The real secret of this method, the element that is the difference that makes the difference, is to ask yourself:
If it does not apply directly, what principles can you adapt to what your business? If it doesn't apply directly or indirectly to your business, what other business might it benefit?
An example of this type of innovation you surely have utilized in your life is the drive up window at Burger King or McDonalds. The idea for drive through windows at fast food restaurants came from the banking industry drive up tellers.
Compile a list of everyone you can think of in your field that you do not directly compete with. Call them up and offer to share business ideas as a way to mutually benefit. Napoleon Hill refers to this in his book Think & Grow Rich ( a must read for anyone in business ), as forming a Mastermind Group.
Find out who the most successful people are in the hypnosis business, and call them up and ask them about how they got to be so successful. I have found that the more successful a person is, the more they are open to telling anyone who is interested how they made it happen. They want other people to be successful as well since they almost universally have an abundance mentality.
NO NEED TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL
Jay Abraham once said that "Discovery is the fuel of competitive advantage." There are literally billions of dollars of advertising and marketing knowledge available to you for free. All you need to do is ask the right questions, pay attention, and then see how you can apply it to what you do.
Till next time, all the success possible to you!
Craig Eubanks
Director Sleepwalkers International
Hypnosis & NLP Practice Groups
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
THERE EXISTS AN ETERNAL FOUNTAIN OF IDEAS
Imagine having millions of dollars of marketing knowledge that you can access whenever you want. What would it be like to have a never ending fountain of new ideas as well as what-actually-works? How useful would it be to each day be able to learn a few ideas for free, that someone else had spent large sums of money to figure out?
All of that exists for you and is amazingly easy to access and take advantage of. In fact, it is so simple, you probably won't believe that the secret to access all this information, so that you too can harness it to create high octane success in your hypnosis practice, is to just ASK!
THE FUN BEGINS WITH CURIOUSITY
Those of you who have studied NLP, will know that Richard Bandler is famous for saying that the key piece to NLP is having a strong curiosity about how things work. Curiosity is am essential part of the NLP process known as Modeling. Modeling is the method from which the techniques of NLP were discovered.
As an entrepreneur and business owner, at the very least you should have that same curiosity about what really works in ALL businesses. In essence you will model what is successful, learn from it, and apply it to your business.
From now on, for as long as your are in business, you should make it a point everyday to talk to at least two people about how they run their business. Think of all the businesses you patronize, think of all the businesses you pass everyday, think of all the people at trade shows, networking groups, association meetings, toastmasters that you meet who have knowledge of a business that you can learn from.
These people represent collectively millions of dollars of real world marketing knowledge, and one of the easiest things to do is to get someone talking about themselves, their business, and what they do that makes it work.
TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF INNOVATION
So, how do you do this? Simple, start with what you already know... yourself. Anytime you buy something, a product or service, ask yourself questions like these:
- Why did I buy this?
- What desire motivated me to buy?
- What was the result or benefit I was expecting?
- What methods did they use to convey this information to me?
- What selling methods, risk reversal, and sale close did they use?
Then begin the habit of talking to other businesses daily. Almost everyone you come in contact with works or has worked in some business. This is your chance to learn. I find it useful to hold the belief that everyone one I meet can teach me something, so why wouldn't I want to ask them questions such as:
- What business are you in?
- How do you sell your product/service?
- What is the marketing philosophy you use?
- Do you use risk reversal? (or) What guarantees do you have?
- What has been the most effective selling strategy?
- Do you advertise, if so where? What have been the results?
I think by this point, you are getting the idea of how to make this work. You are modeling their knowledge and experience in such as way that you can understand it clearly.
Now you might think people would offended by all the questions, but actually the exact opposite is true. When you are truly curious about a person, they find it flattering that you are really interested. Most people only talk about themselves in a conversation, so if you go to a chamber of commerce mixer and ask each person about their business, you will get great responses.
TURN YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO GOLD!
The real secret of this method, the element that is the difference that makes the difference, is to ask yourself:
- How can I directly apply this to what I do in my business?
If it does not apply directly, what principles can you adapt to what your business? If it doesn't apply directly or indirectly to your business, what other business might it benefit?
An example of this type of innovation you surely have utilized in your life is the drive up window at Burger King or McDonalds. The idea for drive through windows at fast food restaurants came from the banking industry drive up tellers.
Compile a list of everyone you can think of in your field that you do not directly compete with. Call them up and offer to share business ideas as a way to mutually benefit. Napoleon Hill refers to this in his book Think & Grow Rich ( a must read for anyone in business ), as forming a Mastermind Group.
Find out who the most successful people are in the hypnosis business, and call them up and ask them about how they got to be so successful. I have found that the more successful a person is, the more they are open to telling anyone who is interested how they made it happen. They want other people to be successful as well since they almost universally have an abundance mentality.
NO NEED TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL
Jay Abraham once said that "Discovery is the fuel of competitive advantage." There are literally billions of dollars of advertising and marketing knowledge available to you for free. All you need to do is ask the right questions, pay attention, and then see how you can apply it to what you do.
Till next time, all the success possible to you!
Craig Eubanks
Director Sleepwalkers International
Hypnosis & NLP Practice Groups
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
How To Build A Steady Stream of Income Using Referrals
Society of Applied Hypnosis Marketing Tip of the Week
One of the easiest ways to leverage your business massively is through the development of a referral system. There are many ways to do this, todays tip will give you a few ideas that you can implement quickly and easily for little or no cost.
"I HATE ASKING FOR REFERRALS"
Perhaps you will find it difficult or scary to ask for referrals, because if feels like you are coming to them with your hand out asking for money. This is common, and what happens is a pattern develops, that instead of making it known that referrals are important to your business, you instead hope that because you did such great work that the client will take the initiative and send you waves of new clients.
So where is that steady stream of referrals then? As we all know, "hope" is the close cousin of "try", and hoping people will provide referrals will result in mostly none.
YOU MUST PUT THE IDEA IN THE CLIENTS MIND
People like to be led. So if you want referrals, you must take the initiative and put the idea in their minds that this is not only going to help you, and be a way for them to thank you for the wonderful change you have made in their life, it will also be doing a good thing for the person they refer. That referral gets to have a powerful positive change in their life as well.
Think of it as a waking suggestion you create that will benefit your client, the people they refer, and you. It is a win-win all the way around.
The key to making this easy is the answer to this question...
DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS?
Most people who choose hypnosis as a career deeply care about their clients. So you owe it to them to be there for them, and to serve them at a higher level than anyone else. To be certain that their lives are enriched and enhanced at a higher level than could possibly be done by anyone else serving them. You owe it to them and to anyone associated with them, to make sure they know that you are there to counsel and advise, to answer any questions, to lead them through the process to change their life positively forever.
There is a key point here:
If you don't revere yourself, no one else will either!!!
You also must make them feel comfortable directing and bringing anybody important in their lives to you, to receive the gift you offer, so that person important to them can benefit in the same way they benefited.
If you fail to do that, you are allowing the possibility of someone important to them getting a less optimal outcome in their lives. Getting less than your clients get from you.
But you MUST make sure they know that, because on their own they won't do it.
MAKE IT PART OF THE INITIAL CONSULTATION
For new clients, make this a part of the initial consultation. Create a list of client/hypnotist expectations, read it to them, and get them to verbally agree to it.
This idea comes from a dentist in Australia who uses this very effectively in his practice. He operates ONLY from referrals. He does not advertise at all, and has a waiting list of people to get into his practice. (remember in last weeks tip I told you to look to other industries for ideas... adapt this for what works best for you)
Example:
WHAT THE CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT
Because you have decided to become a client of mine, I owe you some things:
Tell them what satisfactions looks like. Put the idea in their mind of what their expectations should be.
Likewise, because you agreed to become a client of mine you owe me some things as well
WHAT ABOUT PAST CLIENTS?
It is worth your while to call them or mail them and check up on them and let them know that you care. Not just out of the clear blue with your hand out. You must care about them on a larger level than just that they purchase your services, and let them know that you care about their lives, their businesses, their families, their health. That is the first and important part of the process.
Once you have communicated and demonstrated that you care about them on a deeper level, then an example of what you can say to them in person or in a letter:
"You know, When I think about how happy you are now, it brings me such joy, and I realized that this is what I am all about. It's not about money, and yes I do like making money, but it's about giving people so much greater value and richness in their life.
And I was thinking that the people I really enjoy working with the most are people just like you, and frankly I spend a lot of money on advertising and promotions, but it seems more logical to me that the people I want to reach are the people you hang out with. The people you work with, the people you live next to, your friends and family, because the quality of the person you are is the kind of person I want to work with.
I was thinking you probably know a lot of people in your life that would be benefited by me. I just want you to know that I am here for you and here for anybody you want to have the same positive change in their life as you have had."
Make it easy for them by describing the people in their life that might benefit from your services. This primes their mental pump for matches. Then tell them that the most sincere thank you they can give you is to provide you with the opportunity to help the people they know in the same way you helped them.
MAKE IT WORTH THEIR WHILE TO REFER
One last method to build referrals, is to tell your clients, "if you refer 4 other people to me who sign up for one of my packages, I will refund what you paid 100%."
If you charge $600.00 for your package, and they refer you 4 people that pay you $600.00 each, then you just got $2400.00 of business for $600.00, and and return on investment of 400%. Most people that invest money are thrilled to get a 10% return on investment.
Check your local laws to make sure you can do this just to be safe.
Adapt this idea to what works best for you.
Till next time, all the success possible to you!
Craig Eubanks
Director Sleepwalkers International
Hypnosis & NLP Practice Groups
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
One of the easiest ways to leverage your business massively is through the development of a referral system. There are many ways to do this, todays tip will give you a few ideas that you can implement quickly and easily for little or no cost.
"I HATE ASKING FOR REFERRALS"
Perhaps you will find it difficult or scary to ask for referrals, because if feels like you are coming to them with your hand out asking for money. This is common, and what happens is a pattern develops, that instead of making it known that referrals are important to your business, you instead hope that because you did such great work that the client will take the initiative and send you waves of new clients.
So where is that steady stream of referrals then? As we all know, "hope" is the close cousin of "try", and hoping people will provide referrals will result in mostly none.
YOU MUST PUT THE IDEA IN THE CLIENTS MIND
People like to be led. So if you want referrals, you must take the initiative and put the idea in their minds that this is not only going to help you, and be a way for them to thank you for the wonderful change you have made in their life, it will also be doing a good thing for the person they refer. That referral gets to have a powerful positive change in their life as well.
Think of it as a waking suggestion you create that will benefit your client, the people they refer, and you. It is a win-win all the way around.
The key to making this easy is the answer to this question...
DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS?
Most people who choose hypnosis as a career deeply care about their clients. So you owe it to them to be there for them, and to serve them at a higher level than anyone else. To be certain that their lives are enriched and enhanced at a higher level than could possibly be done by anyone else serving them. You owe it to them and to anyone associated with them, to make sure they know that you are there to counsel and advise, to answer any questions, to lead them through the process to change their life positively forever.
There is a key point here:
If you don't revere yourself, no one else will either!!!
You also must make them feel comfortable directing and bringing anybody important in their lives to you, to receive the gift you offer, so that person important to them can benefit in the same way they benefited.
If you fail to do that, you are allowing the possibility of someone important to them getting a less optimal outcome in their lives. Getting less than your clients get from you.
But you MUST make sure they know that, because on their own they won't do it.
MAKE IT PART OF THE INITIAL CONSULTATION
For new clients, make this a part of the initial consultation. Create a list of client/hypnotist expectations, read it to them, and get them to verbally agree to it.
This idea comes from a dentist in Australia who uses this very effectively in his practice. He operates ONLY from referrals. He does not advertise at all, and has a waiting list of people to get into his practice. (remember in last weeks tip I told you to look to other industries for ideas... adapt this for what works best for you)
Example:
WHAT THE CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT
Because you have decided to become a client of mine, I owe you some things:
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to schedule appointments and live by them.
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to worry about you at a higher level than you worry about yourself, as if they were a member of the family.
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to perform at such a level of professionalism that the work will be superlative and endure.
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to be respectful.
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to be well trained and current.
- You should expect me as your hypnotist to speak to you in plain English and not use jargon.
- You should expect me to explain anything you do not understand clearly, and to answer any and all questions with patience and understanding.
Tell them what satisfactions looks like. Put the idea in their mind of what their expectations should be.
Likewise, because you agreed to become a client of mine you owe me some things as well
- When you make an appointment you keep it.
- You respect the fact that we are in this together, and that we are going to keep you healthy and strong so that you will live a happy and prosperous life.
- It's not just a professional relationship, it is a fraternal one too. I can't just deal with you clinically, I want to know you personally, because I care about people.
- If you have any dissatisfaction, you respect me enough to tell me.
- If you are dissatisfied, that you do not stay with me, since I do not deserve you.
- When you are satisfied with my performance on your behalf, with the results of my professional services, then you agree:
- You will pay in full for your services at the agreed upon time.
- When you are satisfied with the results I promised you, you will consider referering to me two people of comparable quality to yourself. This is the greatest compliment you can pay me. Referring is not about giving me their names, it means when you speak with them you can tell them just how good your life has become, and how you want them to have this same experience, and that they can call me for a free consultation to answer any questions they might have.
WHAT ABOUT PAST CLIENTS?
It is worth your while to call them or mail them and check up on them and let them know that you care. Not just out of the clear blue with your hand out. You must care about them on a larger level than just that they purchase your services, and let them know that you care about their lives, their businesses, their families, their health. That is the first and important part of the process.
Once you have communicated and demonstrated that you care about them on a deeper level, then an example of what you can say to them in person or in a letter:
"You know, When I think about how happy you are now, it brings me such joy, and I realized that this is what I am all about. It's not about money, and yes I do like making money, but it's about giving people so much greater value and richness in their life.
And I was thinking that the people I really enjoy working with the most are people just like you, and frankly I spend a lot of money on advertising and promotions, but it seems more logical to me that the people I want to reach are the people you hang out with. The people you work with, the people you live next to, your friends and family, because the quality of the person you are is the kind of person I want to work with.
I was thinking you probably know a lot of people in your life that would be benefited by me. I just want you to know that I am here for you and here for anybody you want to have the same positive change in their life as you have had."
Make it easy for them by describing the people in their life that might benefit from your services. This primes their mental pump for matches. Then tell them that the most sincere thank you they can give you is to provide you with the opportunity to help the people they know in the same way you helped them.
MAKE IT WORTH THEIR WHILE TO REFER
One last method to build referrals, is to tell your clients, "if you refer 4 other people to me who sign up for one of my packages, I will refund what you paid 100%."
If you charge $600.00 for your package, and they refer you 4 people that pay you $600.00 each, then you just got $2400.00 of business for $600.00, and and return on investment of 400%. Most people that invest money are thrilled to get a 10% return on investment.
Check your local laws to make sure you can do this just to be safe.
Adapt this idea to what works best for you.
Till next time, all the success possible to you!
Craig Eubanks
Director Sleepwalkers International
Hypnosis & NLP Practice Groups
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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