5 SECRETS TO SELLING PRODUCTS & SERVICES TO YOUR AUDIENCE

Dear Friends,

Imagine this: I'm working with a speaker who charges $10,000 an hour. He came to me to hone his pitch to get a hefty book advance, evaluate and update his website, and improve his ecommerce sales.

We accomplished the first thing on his list. Then I made recommendations to refine his website (both text and graphics) to increase his online sales. Granted, he's in an unusual situation since he already makes almost 6 figures online with his products without any PR, advertising or online presence. All of his traffic comes from his speaking engagements. But he's ambitious and wants to make even more money.

To do so he decided to implement my recommendations immediately--with one caveat: He didn't want to take the time or effort to work with a more professional designer and web master to upgrade the look and feel of his site, even though it does not reflect his upscale image or fee.

I was intrigued by this so I visited other speakers' websites to see how their sites measured up. I was consistently unimpressed by the level of professionalism. Not only did many of them look shabby, they were difficult to navigate and their ecommerce stores did not work!

One speaker, who earns $20,000 per speech, offered meeting planners documents that they frequently ask for. Great, I thought. But when I tried to download the documents, I got only error messages. I couldn't view his demo tape either as it only ran on Windows. I'm on a Mac. What does this mean? Lost opportunity.

If you don't make it easy, meeting planners (and your potential online clients and customers) will go to someone who does. Your website may be the first impression someone has of you. This is your chance to prove your capabilities. If your level of professionalism isn't reflected on your website, people unconsciously downgrade their opinion of you. Worse, they may choose not to do business with you or buy your products based on this first "meeting."

What to do? That's the subject of this month's newsletter.

But before I judge anyone too harshly, let me say that I know there are many difficult technical snafus that come with doing business on the Internet. Barring the heinous and horrible things that happen, I believe that the way you are represented is as important as the first handshake. It's the equivalent of how somebody looks you in the eye. Is he/she trustworthy? Do I like him/her? Can he/she get the job done? Will he/she be a pleasure to work with? Are his/her products worth it?

That said, I want to let you know that we've just switched listservers. (Whew, what a process!). My webmaster has tested and re-tested this new software thoroughly, but I do know that Murphy's Law reigns supreme. So if you do have any problems please alert us ASAP at and we will work like the dickens to get the problem solved.

Here is the new subscribe/unsubscribe information (also repeated at the end of this newsletter).

If you're subscribing/unsubscribing you go directly to: http://prsecrets.com/joinlist.html.

It's a quick one step process.

And one more thing. My ecommerce site is almost up. I keep saying that, I know, but I think really will be ready in about three more weeks. This is part of setting a solid foundation so that all the glitches are worked out before you're invited in. Rather than rushing the process, I'm enjoying (well, not enjoying exactly, but feeling satisfied) about getting everything automated so I'll have more time to do art collage projects with my friend Laurie and go to garage sales with my mom. ALERT! I would like to post a few more testimonials on the ecommerce section of my website from those of you who have used my products (tapes and booklets).

I'd very much like to know how they have helped you and what you enjoyed most about them. Could you please email me your comments to be included, with your name and title if you like, on the (almost ready) product portion of my website? Much appreciation in advance!

ONE MORE THING: I will be developing an affiliate program soon. Those of you who are interested in carrying my products on your site can jet me an email with the word "affiliate" in the subject header and I will send you along the information about how to join as soon as I have it. No need to write anything in the body of the email.

And now on to the feature article.

Warmly,

Susan

P.S. For those new subscribers (welcome!) newsletters 15-20 have just been posted to my website. Read them at your leisure. Enjoy.

5 SECRETS TO SELLING PRODUCTS & SERVICES TO YOUR AUDIENCE

1. Know your audience.

How can you tailor information to your audience if you don't know who they are? In almost every article, book, or manual on publicity and marketing you'll hear this one--and yet few people heed it. Last week when I spoke at the Los Angeles Gift Show it became evident that many retailers and buyers didn't know their audience. Fellow speaker and communications expert Kare Anderson (http://www.sayitbetter.com) polled over 60 exhibitors and discovered that only 2 felt they knew the type of person they were targeting. Huh? How can they sell products to people they can't even profile?

To serve your market you'll want to know what problems you can solve for them, and more specifically what your audience longs for. Most of us have what we need, but desire more or less of what we have--or we yearn for something different or better. A poem by the Japanese Haiku master Basho describes this essential state of the human condition--this longing for something other than we are or have.

Even in Kyoto-
Hearing the cuckoo's cry-
I long for Kyoto.

Give people what they are longing for and you will find a permanent place in their hearts.

2. Test, test, then test again.

Many webmasters don't test your shopping cart on different computer platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), with different browsers, or with various computer configurations. This is essential!

The $10,000/hour speaker discussed above insisted that the shopping cart on his website worked from his computer, though he admitted that he'd heard from a number of people it was often "down." I tested it on my Mac and Windows PC with both Netscape and Internet Explorer and couldn't get it to function at all.

As you all know, I'm no techie (biggest understatement of the year) so these were the most basic of tests, all done from a marketing vs. technical standpoint. If you are your own webmaster, have your friends and associates test your ecommerce sections, and your website in general, before you unleash your brilliance on the world. It's amazing all the things that can go wrong on a web site, including things that you or your tech help hasn't thought of. While it's impossible to go through every conceivable configuration, it is possible to take care of all the major ones.

3. Take the annoyance out of shopping.

In other words, make buying from you a pleasure. I was on a "professional marketer's" site yesterday to scope out a product he sells for $97. I muddled my way through a century of copy before I could get to the actual "click to buy button." I know he and other Internet marketers like him think this direct marketing technique (long copy, addressing every objection, the illusion of giving away meaningful information) really sells the product--but it doesn't work if they don't make it easy to get the product in the basket.

After about 5 minutes of clicking forward and backward, I gave up. (By the way, women have less patience on the Internet than men). Chalk up another lost sale for him.

Use the fewest number of clicks to get a buyer to where they're going (to the checkout). This means in navigating forward, toward the final sale, or backward to add more items to their cart. Don't have your potential customer waste time and effort trying to figure out where or what to click, because they won't--they'll simply leave. Model yourself after amazon.com who makes the process simple and easy.

Also, explain every step of your ordering process so that people feel confident of where they are going and what they can expect from you. This means everything from screens that verify the information is correctly filled out on forms, to email messages confirming and precisely explaining the shipping method and timeframe.

4. Don't sacrifice image for speed.

Think about it. If someone is paying you a substantial sum for your services and your website comes across like a poor pauper, do you think they'll retain their confidence in you?

It's important to concern yourself deeply about the kind of image you're projecting before you slap something up on your website that you'll be sorry for later. Donald Rumsfeld, our current Secretary of Defense, former chairman of the "transition team" for President Ford, and the former White House chief of staff, gives this advice, "Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning. Plan backward as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive."

Some questions to ask to help you get clear:
Is what you're offering soft or hard-edged enough for the kind of audience you want to attract? What are the qualities your audience is looking for from you? Is what you do completely clear? Are the products you sell filled with knowledge and information (or in the case of 3-D products originality and true value) your buyers can't get from your competitors? Do you make it easy to buy? Remember that most information can be found elsewhere, but your wisdom cannot.

5. Your website image must match everything you "do, say and are."

Create continuity, in person, on paper, and on the Internet. You must come across as professional, trustworthy, and knowledgeable. When I was interviewing people for my upcoming book, "Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul," I turned to the expertise of a professional PR listserve to which I subscribe. One woman, whose knowledge and online manner I'd come to admire, was first on my list to call. I visited her website to research her background before I contacted her. I was baffled to find little dolphins and other silly-looking characters that had nothing to do with a theme or anything else for that matter, on her site. Needless to say her esteem dropped in my eyes. I never called.

On the other hand, my client Leslie Kirk Campbell, Founder of the Ripe Fruit School of writing, took the time to ruminate over her website for months. She carefully chose photos that gave her potential clients a real sense of her as a teacher and leader. She pored over hundreds of testimonials to select just the right ones that captured the essence of taking a class or going on a writing retreat. And she thought intensely about what it was that people whose creativity was stifled, stalled, on brief hiatus, or in full roar, would need from her. Her site isn't "perfect" and it's still in evolution, but the basics for what her audience needs are there. See what she came up with that represents her teaching/living style and her love of language at: http://www.ripefruitwriting.com.

An article in the August 3, 2001 edition of the Wall Street Journal about the best Southern pork barbeque,illustrates my point. Restaurateur Wilbur King who got started doing mail order Bar-B-Q by sending care packages of his "Kingston, N.C., 'cue to displaced locals," said that he didn't want to make his website too slick. "People have an image in their mind, and if it's not three rednecks over a pit in the woods, they think it's not the real deal." Smart marketer this Bar-B-Q salesman.

Another great example of how look and feel serenely match is Feng Shui expert Shannon Lee Turner's website. Visit at http://www.tranquilspaces.com to get a sense of how the content, images, design, graphics, and services are completely congruous. Besides offering classes and business or residential consultations, Shannon also has a free weekly newsletter called "Feng Shui Tips." You'll get many fascinating ideas about how to run your business better with insights on structuring your environment. Her newsletter also perfectly matches the sensibility of her business. To subscribe to the list, send your name and city of residence to .

I look forward to getting this one in my mailbox. It always contains both wise advice and a beautiful quote or poem. By the way, there is no archive of the past tips so the only way to get them is to subscribe.

6. BONUS TIP! Don't give your customers too many choices.

Potential customers will log off if they're confronted with a dizzying display of decisions. Case in point, my sweetheart was looking to buy the Herman Miller Aeron chair on a site that advertised it for a great price and free shipping. First he needed to choose a size. Then the color of the frame. Then the color of the material. Next, the color for the arms, and the size and type of casters, and on and on! He decided he couldn't make a decision unless he saw the darn chair.

The solution? Offer a few of the most popular standards first. Then note that any of the items can be customized. It's your job to help guide your customers to the optimal answers to the most common asked questions--before they're asked. Since you're tracking your most popular items you can let people know what has worked best for others. You're helping them make an intelligent decision. In other words, simplify the thinking and ordering process so it's a quick and easy process.

Back to my original point. While the ordering process is crucial, the look and feel of your website may be more important than you think. It's a surprising fact that people remember feelings more than the specifics of what you say. Make sure your online image matches your expertise and the feeling you want to leave with people. Warrant that every step someone takes on your website is in the direction you want them to go. Finally, take the time to ensure that their journey is the guided tour you want them to take.

FIND OUT WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE

Check out: http://www.gotmarketing.com for everything from Opt-In List lists, to a program for sending direct email or eNewsletter campaigns. And if you really want to get schooled, enroll in GotUniversity to get an all around marketing education. Lots of articles and possibilities here.

RESEARCH WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT

Entrepreneur Magazine writer Kim T. Gordon put together a fascinating article on sales success in the May 2001 issue.

Some of the highlights:

1. 85% of teens "would switch to retailers associated with a good cause, according to the 2000 'Cone/Roper Cause-Related Teen Survey.'"

[MY NOTE: It's always a good idea to connect yourself or your business to a cause. If you're targeting teens, here's your chance to do good and plump up your pocketbook.]

2. "Working women are approximately half as likely as the average adult to be TV watchers." (MediaMark Research Inc.) They are also 16% more likely than the average adult to listen to the radio. Reach women between the hours of 6am and 7pm (including the evening commute "an important purchasing time.").

[MY NOTE: One reason why it's essential to include radio and TV coverage in your media campaign. Otherwise you're missing an opportunity to reach this growing market segment.]

3. "87% of buyers and specifiers search for URLs in trade advertisements (Martin Akel & Assoc. in conjunction with Cahners, http://www.cahners.com.

[MY NOTE: Of course, I can't imagine any of you NOT including your URL in your trade ads.]

For more insights about developing a company slogan, niche markets or how to use benefits to motivate prospects. Visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com.

WRITER'S RIGHTS UPDATE

Due to writers demanding payment for electronic rights for their work that first appeared in hard copy, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher of The New York Times, said it "will now undertake the difficult and sad process of removing significant portions from it's electronic historical archive." Letty Cottin Pogrebin, President, the Authors Guild and the Authors Registry responded that no one asked publishers to remove material--"All we ask is that those who sell our articles and profit from our work undertake 'the difficult and sad process' of sharing the revenue with those who have created it." (Courtesy of The Week. http://www.theweek.ws) Hear hear.

INCREDIBLE BOOK PUBLICITY CONFERENCE

I don't usually print the whole description of a course I think is valuable, but I'm going to make an exception for Arielle Ford. Arielle has put together a line-up of publicity and marketing people so impressive that I think you need to see it all here.

PLUS: She has offered my readership a SPECIAL DISCOUNT that she's only giving to a few of her colleagues. I urge you to attend! if you can't be there in person, then buy the tapes. This is a comprehensive and information packed conference that you can't afford to miss.

Here it is:
BOOK PUBLICITY UNIVERSITY
Arielle Ford, owner of the The Ford Group, (http://www.fordsisters.com) a highly acclaimed book publicity firm whose clients have included Deepak Chopra, Gary Zukav, Neale Donald Walsh, Marianne Williamson, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Debbie Ford, Wayne Dyer, Dean Ornish and many other bestselling authors, is presenting the BOOK PUBLICITY UNIVERSITY on Oct. 6 & 7 in Los Angeles and Nov. 3 & 4 in New York City. The purpose of the event is to share with authors, publicists, publishers (small and large), and marketing consultants EVERYTHING they need to know about launching a successful book publicity campaign.

Media trainer extraordinaire JOEL ROBERTS will be doing a section on getting ready for radio and TV interviews, and a VERY special guest and former top producer at OPRAH for 6 years, who is now at another BIG talk show, will be doing a segment on how to pitch OPRAH and other top TV talk shows!

Arielle and her team of experts will cover the following topics:

**Media preparation - our experts will get you ready for TV and radio interviews. You'll learn how to create hooks and sound-bytes that will sell books and make you a desired guest.

**The Art of Smiling and Dialing: How to pitch TV, radio and print for big-time articles--including winning ways to pitch Oprah!

**How to write press kit materials that will grab the attention of editors and producers. (An editor from O Oprah magazine will be presenting at the New York event as well as a reporter from PEOPLE at the Los Angeles event!)

**How to arrange the essential elements of a book tour to ensure success, including book signings, author escorts, travel, speaking engagements, media interviews, and much more.

"Whether you are a seasoned author or publishing for the first time, this workshop will give you knowledge and control over the PR process," explains Ford. "If you are serious about becoming a best-selling author, I promise to give you the tools you will need."

In addition to two full days of detailed information, participants will receive a workbook with samples of winning press releases, bios, etc. PLUS an invaluable CD of all the media contacts you will need to plan a successful book tour. This database includes radio, TV and print contacts in The Ford Group's favorite top 15 book tour cities, 2000 key radio talk show producers, national TV talk show contacts, the top women's and general interest magazines with contact names, and much, much more. Arielle's database is not for sale--attending the workshop is the only way to get it.

The cost to attend Book Publicity University is $895 (early registration) and $1095 if you sign up after September 4, 2001. A spouse or co-worker may attend for $545 (early registration) but will not receive their own workbook and CD. To register please call the Jodere Group at 800-569-1002. Arielle Ford The Ford Group Dharma Dreams, LLC 1250 Prospect St. Suite Ocean 5 La Jolla, CA 92037 858-454-3314 fx. 3319 http://www.fordsisters.com.

WANT TO SET THE FOUNDATION FOR A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS?

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We talked earlier about how important it is to set a strong and secure foundation for your business. Get your systems automated, organized and functioning optimally with Brett's help. Take a look at his website at http://www.broadscope.com. if you're ready to go to the next level of success with a new or continuing venture, you can email Brett now at .