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Marketing: Are You Scaring Customers Away?
by: John McCabe
"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"

So started my weekend lesson in marketing. It was Saturday afternoon, and started like a typical telemarketing call. Heavy accent, reading a script. I told him Patty wasn't home, I'm her husband, he could talk to me.

At this point, one of two things happens. Either they hang up and try again later, or they read me their script. This guy launched into his script...

As part of a new promotion, he wanted to give me $500 in free merchandise certificates. All I had to do was cover $4.95 in shipping, and I didn't need to give him a credit card number to pay it.

Radar on, full scam alert!

I told him I wasn't interested in participating, and that I wanted off of his calling list.

Legitimate telemarketers know that the magic words in the USA are 'take me off your calling list'; they usually rattle off a toll-free number and move on.

Not this guy.

He badgered me for another five minutes about why I didn't want the free certs. I told him I didn't trust him. He said if I didn't trust him to just hang up. So I did...

The phone rang with the speed of electronic redial. "Why you hang up on me?" he demanded. "Don't you want the five hundred dollars worth of certificates?" I told him no. "You don't deserve them anyway..." he snapped before hanging up.

Did a little research...

--- Sidebar ---

If you want to learn what I learned about this outfit, do a Google search for "Consumer Rewards Network" in quotes. Very interesting angle they're working.

--- Sidebar ---

Fast forward to Monday morning. The phone rings. Heavy accent on the other line...

"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"

After going through the usual routine, he launched into his pitch. I cut him off, told him we weren't interested. When he asked why, I described some of my research and explicitly told him "don't call this number anymore".

Why am I telling you this long-winded tale?

Here's the lesson...

Don't work so hard trying to convert lookers into customers after they say no.

There's a well-known axiom in sales training that says most sales are closed after the fifth time the prospect says no. That's true. It's also true that, outside of organized crime, beating a prospect over the head is not a legitimate sales tactic.

Court your customers like you would a new boyfriend or girlfriend. "Date" them for awhile, offering smaller products and occasional surprises. Go for the long term relationship.

Don't cross the line from suitor to stalker.

What do you think would happen if you walked up to a stranger and said "marry me"? Odds are, they'd say no and run the other way. What if you did the same thing with this person again and again?

Do the words "restraining order" ring a bell?

And yet many home business people try to do the same thing.

Especially guilty are network marketers fresh off a big training event. These events are meant to fire up the troops, and they work big time. Distributors hit the ground running with evangelical zeal. Everyone needs their deal, and they just won't take no for an answer.

Wake up, people!

Sometimes 'no' is the right answer!

Some people are just not cut out to be in business for themselves, and that's a good thing.

I need someone to cut my grass. And fix my car. And ring up my groceries. And draw up my contracts. And heal me when I get sick... And on it goes.

Take the easy way. Look for the ones that express interest, whether that's by buying a trial order or signing up for your mailing list. Cultivate the relationship. Long-term business success is a lot more like farming than hunting.

Come on too strong, too fast and be too persistent, and you'll end up sounding like that phone scammer I started this article with. And like his outfit, you may also learn the legal meaning of cease and desist. If you stay in business that long...

About the author:
In addition to writing about business topics for home based business, John McCabe sorts through other authors' material and posts the best of it in his Success Letter blog at http://www.SuccessLetter.com/.


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 E-Z GRO Opt-In Mailing List Techniques
 by: Shon Christopher

An opt-in mailing list can be your most solid internet marketing tool. Think of it as a foot in the door – or better yet, a standing invitation to drop by anytime. Research has shown that it takes an average of seven contacts with a prospect to make your first sale.

It’s hard to count on someone returning to your web site seven times – but if you get them there once, and convince them to join your opt-in mailing list, you have a standing invitation to contact them with your offers, at your convenience.

The trick, of course, is turning your web site visitors into opt-in list subscribers. Opt-in list building is easier than you think. There are a number of tried and true methods of list building that you can use – but don’t be afraid to think outside the box to sign up folks who drop by your web site for a short visit.

Start with a good reason for people to join your opt-in list.

People don’t join opt-in lists out of the goodness of their hearts – they opt in because you’re offering them something of value. What have you got to offer?

• Get a 10% discount on all purchases over $25 – exclusive to members of our mailing list!

• Find out about our newest products through our opt-in mailing list!

• We’ll keep you up to date on the latest developments in [insert your field here].

• Special discount prices and offers exclusively for members of our mailing list.

Get the picture? You’re not saying, “Hey, can I keep bugging you to try to sell you stuff?” You’re offering a service – “I’ll let you know when I’ve got good stuff you want to buy.”

Post the invitation to join your opt-in list prominently on your web site. Simple list building truth number one is that people can’t join your opt-in list if they don’t know about it. Put an invitation to join your email list on every single page of your site – and make the invitation enticing.

Practice opt-in list building everywhere.

Include a short invitation to join your opt-in email list as part of your email signature so that it goes out every time you email someone. If you do a presentation or event, personally invite participants or booth visitors to join your opt in email list.

Bribe people to sign up with a free gift.

Bribery is a tried-and-true fast list building technique and website promotion tool. Selling weight loss products? Put together an e-book of weight loss facts about nutrition and offer it as an incentive to sign up for your opt in list. Be creative, and watch your list grow like a weed.

Offer incentives for referrals.


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