Category: Weekly Story

I was planning to send a different email to you today. 

…until I checked my inbox this morning and opened one of the best cold-call emails I’ve ever received.

I wanted to share it with you because it’s sooooo good and you can learn so much from it.

It begins: “Hey Tom, Curious if you’re manually entering data in 5+ systems every time you hire someone at MarketVolt? Your payroll, insurance carrier, FSA/HSA, 401k, HR platform, etc.”

That caught my attention because…yeah, data entry following new hires is a repetitive, painful process for us.

He had my attention. He described a painful condition for many businesses. And he asked whether I can relate.

My answer: Yep. I can relate. So I continued reading:

“Rippling fixes this problem in a really neat way. In 90 seconds, you can hire a new employee through our system, and we set them up in all of your other systems — instantly. Legacy platforms like ADP and Paychex aren’t ‘open,’ so your team’s likely doing this work manually right now. Not just for hiring, but offboarding and day-to-day management.”

Now he really had my attention. A clear solution to cure what ails me. So I continued reading:

“Our payroll is a lot more affordable too, FWIW.”

Is this guy reading my mind?

I was thinking, “Sounds nice, but it sounds pricey.”

And then he answered my objection.

He established that he offers time-savings AND cost-savings. (By the way, “FWIW” = for what it’s worth). So I continued reading:

“Are you open to a quick demo / cost savings comparison? Thank you! Ramon”

Yes, I am open. So I read the p.s.:

“P.S. Tom — 57% of companies that switch payroll, do so in Q4, so now’s the right time to see what else is out there. If you’re not interested though, please let me know. I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

A call-to-action with a bit of urgency and a personal touch. He asks me to contact him if I’m not interested (implying, of course, that I should contact him if I AM interested). Also, it’s a nice touch to acknowledge the nuisance factor (anyone who reads that far is probably not considering him a nuisance).

Let’s summarize what Ramon did in this email:

1) Identify a pain-point or a desire and ask, “Can you relate.” (Are you entering date in 5+ systems?) Those who can relate read on. Those who don’t stop reading (no damage done).

2) Quickly and concisely identify what you offer to address the pain or fulfill the desire (In 90 seconds, you can enter the data once, and we take care of the rest).

3) Quickly and concisely address potential objection(s) (We’re less expensive than the other guys).

4) Present a clear call to action (Would you like a demo? Please contact me).

That’s a good formula for any business that uses email for lead generation.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

When I was a kid, I treasured my poster of Neil Armstrong standing on the moon. I wanted to be an astronaut. Armstrong was my hero.

Last week, I saw a picture of Armstrong’s spacesuit. Some guy posted it on Facebook next to a picture of a lunar footprint.

The spacesuit boot had no treads. It was smooth as silk.

The footprint had large grooves as if made by a boot with big ol’ treads.

Below the pictures was the following: “Hey…Neil Armstrong’s astronaut suit, preserved in a museum…doesn’t match up with his footprints on the moon!”

Boom! Take that suckers!

Smooth-bottomed boot. That’s a fact.

Treaded footprint. That’s a fact.

1 + 1 = 2. The moonwalk never happened!!!!!

Fact + Fact = Proof. Right!?

Not so fast.

Before stepping onto the moon, Armstrong and other astronauts slipped their boots into “overshoes.”

The shoes provided extra protection and…

…you guessed it…

…they had heavy treads.

The treads match those footprints on the moon. That’s another fact.

So…

Fact + Fact = Ill-Informed Conspiracy Theory.

Fact + Fact + Fact = Conspiracy Theory Debunked.

Facts are just building blocks.

How we interpret them depends on our own biases (i.e. The government lies to us so the government faked the moon landing).

Same goes with marketing.

Fact: 25% of recipients opened your email.

Fact: 5% of those who opened clicked the key link in that email.

Some people assume email marketing doesn’t work.

They take those building block facts and construct the following story: 75% didn’t open the email + 95% didn’t click = Proof of Failure

But here are some other facts:

Of those who clicked, three scheduled a meeting with you…

…and one converted to a customer…

…and revenue from that customer exceeded the cost of your email campaign by 10x.

Boom! Proof of failure becomes 10x profit.

The moral of these stories: Facts don’t lie. But WE lie to ourselves by compiling facts to support an incomplete or ill-informed story.

In business, that can mean the difference between success and failure.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

I was cleaning out some old files and found the “Dress Code Policy” for one of my early jobs.

Coat and tie required. No jeans. Closed-top shoes. No sneakers.

Etc. Etc. Etc. Blah blah blah.

That was 1998.

Times have changed.

I remember the first time I worked at a place with “Casual Fridays.”

It was a BIG deal when the policy changed.

After lots of meetings and lots of debate, we were finally…FREE.

Free to ditch the tie, unbutton our collars and — gasp! — wear jeans.

Thanks, boss.

And thanks, too, to the visionaries at the Hawaiian Fashion Guild.

They’re the folks who hatched the idea for casual work-wear back in the 1960s.

The Guild was a manufacturing association that wanted to promote the sale of “Aloha” shirts. So in 1962 they sent two free shirts to each member of the state legislature and promoted the idea that businesses should allow casual attire in the summer.

The legislature passed a resolution that encouraged the “return to ‘aloha attire’ during the summer months for the sake of comfort and in support of the 50th state’s garment industry.”

Three years later, the Guild promoted “Aloha Friday” — encouraging businesses to allow aloha attire year-round on Fridays. The idea spread like wildfire. Shirt sales skyrocketed. The idea spread to California where it evolved into “Casual Fridays.”

Mission accomplished, Hawaiian Fashion Guild.

Their code name for that mission: “Operation Liberation.”

So many marketing lessons here. I’ll focus on one…

The Hawaiian Fashion Guild achieved its mission because it understood what it sells.

The Guild wasn’t selling shirts. It was selling comfort and, most importantly, it was selling liberation.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You don’t sell products and services. You sell the feeling your products and services give your customers. You sell the outcomes that result from your products and services.

Operation Liberation is a classic example of this.

I keep telling stories that emphasize this idea because it’s critical for your success. If you pitch products and services — without getting to the heart of what you really sell, your business will struggle. 

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com. 🙂

When Ben Franklin was a young man, he turned a rival into a fan with a brilliant, counterintuitive move.

Ben had co-founded a literary and debate society and served as clerk. When he ran for reelection as clerk, the rival ripped Ben in a long, hateful speech.

Rather than counterpunch, Ben asked the hater for a favor.

Ben wrote a letter asking if he could borrow a “very scarce and curious book” that the rival owned.

The rival loaned the book to Ben who quickly acknowledged the favor with a “thank you” note.

From that day forward, the former rival treated Ben with great respect. They became great friends.

The moral of this story: If you want people to like and bond with you, master the Ben Franklin Effect.

Yeah, “The Ben Franklin Effect” is really a thing.

Here’s how psychologists explain it…

We humans want our actions to make sense. So our subconscious mind crafts stories to put everything in order.

If you do a favor for someone, your subconscious tells this story: “I’ve done a favor for this guy. That means I must like him.” (Because it wouldn’t make sense for you to do a favor for someone you don’t like.)

So when you ask someone for a favor, you create a bond. The person who grants that favor is more likely to work well with you in the future.

Ben put it like this in his autobiography: “He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.”

I thought of Ben last week when I discussed “calls-to-action” with a client. I encouraged her to end her emails and social media posts with more direct calls-to-action. Ask people to share the post or forward the email or buy something.

“I don’t want to be too pushy,” she said.

Can you relate? I can. Many of us fear that we cross the “too-pushy” line when we ask for something. We reason that we’ll put people off. We even fear that friends and followers will get so annoyed with us that they’ll stop liking us.

Ben would see it differently. He would tell you that most people are happy to do you the favor if you ask. They’re happy to share your post, happy to forward the email, happy to refer a friend, happy to check out your products and services and even buy something. Just ask.

And whether they realize it or not, they may even like you more when they do you that “favor.”

Here’s the bottom line for marketing your business: You can’t drive action unless you call for it.

You may be surprised how well people respond.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor (you saw this coming, right!?): Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com. 🙂

I nearly had a nervous breakdown in Aisle 8 at the grocery store on Sunday.

There I stood, in the cereal aisle, reading the shopping list my wife created.

Item 15 on the list: “Healthy Cereal.” 

I marched up and down the aisle, scanning the shelves.  

Should I buy the Kashi or the Kellogg’s? Barbara’s Bakery or Bob’s Red Mill? What about General Mills?

Just guesstimating here, but I think there were 18 million options to weigh.

I texted my wife. No reply.

I called. No answer.

Panic was setting in. What to do? Which one should I buy?

I returned home with nothing from Aisle 8. “They were out of healthy cereal,” I muttered when she asked.

I know food manufacturers and grocery giants spend millions to master the science of product placement. There’s a reason grocery stores are organized as they are — to get us to buy more.

But those crowded shelves also can backfire. Too many choices can paralyze prospects.

That’s an important lesson for any business — not just grocery stores.

Numerous studies have proven that prospects act like I did when confronted with more buying options than they can comfortably process.

They freeze, and then they flee.

So keep it simple. Present good options, but not too many.

This principle applies not just when you’re selling products or services.

Remember that…

…the next time you present recommendations to your boss or co-workers.

…the next time you discuss what to do this weekend with your pals or spouse.

…the next time you’re stocking the shelves or writing a proposal or generally pitching your stuff.

You want to encourage people to consider the options, not freeze and flee.

Tom
MarketVolt

When I asked Tim Dean to describe his ideal client for me, his answer blew me away.

Tim is a life coach whom I ran into at a networking event.

His ideal client: “Parents of a millenial son or daughter who is living at home.”

We’ve all heard the old adage about finding a niche for your business.

But I had never heard of such a nichy niche.

I was very intrigued, but a little skeptical.

Me: “That’s actually a market?”

Tim: “Oh yeah. Lots of parents hire me to guide the son or daughter. They tell me, ‘We were going to turn the (kid’s) bedroom into an office or yoga studio, and then…’”

The kid came home and wouldn’t leave.

I have twin 21-year-olds about to finish college. I shivered at the thought.

“A lot of millenials are dissatisfied, unmotivated, not feeling like their work is working,” Tim said. “They’re much quicker to jump jobs. The parents want to help.”

Because they want that new office or yoga studio…

…and, Tim added, because they want to be good parents.

“This provides validation for what they’re doing as parents. Some of it is fighting their own stereotypes. They don’t want the world to perceive their children or themselves as failures. Some don’t give a darn about that. They just want to extend their dream of being great parents.”

Sounds like Tim has…

…identified a target market with very particular needs and…

…devised great solutions to address that market’s fears (“junior may never leave and I won’t get my yoga studio or office”) and aspirations (“I want to be a good parent who raises good kids.”)

That’s a good formula for any business: identify a target market with very particular needs and devise great solutions to address that market’s fears and aspirations.

What is your target market? What are the fears and aspirations? What solutions do you offer?

Tim reminds us how important it is to ask and answer these questions.

Tom
MarketVolt

My buddy Mark has been sober for ten years and counting. That’s cause for celebration.

Every time we go out, I play dumb and ask, “How long has it been?”

He knows I know. But he plays along. “Ten years,” he says proudly.

He should be proud. That’s why I ask the question.

The last time we went out, a few people in our party ordered a bottle of wine. I ordered a beer. Mark ordered an Arnold Palmer.

He has no problem sitting with others who drink.

But he had a problem with the waiter.

“May I pour you some?” the waiter asked Mark after bringing the wine bottle to the table.

Mark replied, “No thank you.”

The waiter persisted, “Are you sure? It’s delicious. Matches perfectly with the pasta you ordered.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Mark grumbled.

(Sigh!)

The waiter had good intentions. But come on, man! Don’t pitch wine to an alcoholic!

Seems pretty obvious, huh!? But businesses do this all the time. They pitch their “perfect” products to everyone without regard for what prospects want or need.

It happened to me with another restaurant this summer.

I joined the restaurant’s email list when I stopped in for a quick lunch.

I didn’t order any wine that day. No martinis either. Just a bowl of chowder and a sandwich.

Since then, I’ve received two emails.

The first promoted a month-long discount on wines.

The second pitched a one-night event (“celebrate our 11 year anniversary”). The hook? Discounts on sparkling wine from 4 to 7 p.m. and discounts on other bottles all night.

Don’t like wine? Been sober for 10 years? Wondering whether there’s a special menu or food discounts? Nothing to see here. Move on.

I like this restaurant. Tasty food. Nice selection of beers. Friendly service. Reasonable prices. That’s why I go.

I don’t go for the wine list. Nor would Mark. Same goes for many others on the email list.

So if you keep sending emails that pitch nothing but wine, we’re going to tune out. We’ll stop opening the emails. We may opt-out altogether.

Sending everything (i.e. narrow pitches for wine) to everybody, regardless of their interests, is the greatest mistake email marketers make.

Next Wednesday, I’ll dig deeper, share some examples from businesses that get it and offer some tips about how to engage email subscribers more effectively.

Tom
MarketVolt

I have a friend who’s convinced the government or Russians or Martians (or…whoever) listen to every cell phone conversation he has.

A few years ago, the friend (I’ll call him “Bob”) dumped his regular cell phone and began buying pay-as-you-go “burner phones.”

Bob pays cash for the phones.

“They can hear me,” Bob says. “But they don’t know it’s me.”

Bob is squeaky clean (I think). He’s not a drug dealer. He pays his taxes. He doesn’t have a cheatin’ heart.

He’s just a little unhinged. Or maybe he’s smart. (There’s such a fine line between paranoid and careful.)

I thought of Bob this week while watching my favorite TV show, “Better Call Saul.”

The main character, Jimmy (a.k.a. Saul) works at a mobile phone store.

Prepaid phone sales are slow.

So Jimmy buys some of that gaudy orange and yellow window paint (the kind you see at used car dealerships) and writes in four-foot-high lettering on the storefront: “Is the man listening? Privacy sold here.”

Sales skyrocket.

That’s some smart marketing, Jimmy!

“Better Call Saul” is a crash-course in smart marketing and copywriting. Really. I’m not kidding.

In the burner phone episode, Jimmy delivers a brilliant pitch to the leader of a biker gang who ends up buying a pile of phones. Even the most seasoned sales champion could learn something here.

Check out Season 4, Episode 3. Jimmy ad-libs a pitch for copy machines that they should reprint in sales training manuals.

Take notes in Seasons 1-3 as Jimmy pitches his legal services to senior citizens.

Brilliant stuff.

If you know the show and the Jimmy/Saul character, you know: He happily works for and with drug dealers, tax dodgers and cheating spouses.

Don’t worry about that. That’s not the point.

The point is this: Jimmy/Saul brilliantly assesses what motivates his prospects. He knows what they desire and what they fear. And then he tells (true) stories about how his products or services can fulfill the desire or address the fear.

Jimmy doesn’t sell mobile phones. He sells privacy.

What do you sell?

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. I can help you re-define what you sell — so you can sell more. It’s something I do for clients all the time. It makes their sales pitches better. It makes their content more focused and relevant. It helps the bottom line. And for those of you who work for nonprofits or schools, the same principles apply. You are “selling” something — even if you don’t think of it that way. If you want to learn more about how this works, give me a call (314-529-1431) or email me. 

I got some spam this week from a guy who claims he knows me because of my job title.

He doesn’t.

The email said: “Your title suggests you know better than most that inventory solutions in your industry cost a fortune. Worse yet, most don’t integrate with QuickBooks.”

My title is “President,” not “Inventory Manager.” My company sells software and strategic marketing services, not stuff we store in a warehouse.

But that didn’t stop this guy.

He pitched his inventory management solution. It’s easy to use. It integrates with QuickBooks!!!!

Here’s the funny/sad thing: I work with lots of companies that manage inventory and might benefit from better software.

But I’m not buying from this guy.

I don’t trust him.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for “personalizing” emails. We encourage you to do it. We help many of our clients do it. Well-executed, personalized emails yield far better results than impersonal emails.

But personalizing does not mean pretending I know you.

It means including content that you believe will be pertinent to the reader — and doing it in an authentic way.

Saturation bombing people with a certain job title and implying you know the person — that’s not authentic. Sure, his email may reach some inventory managers who fall for the “personal touch.” But there’s nothing really personal about it.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. Want to discover how to personalize your emails to improve results? We can help you do that. MarketVolt’s experts can help you devise creative, smart strategies and tactics for your campaigns. We can help you with content planning, copywriting, email production, blogging or other content marketing. We can show you how to do it, or we can do it for you. If you want to learn more, give me a call (314-529-1431) or email me.