The last thing you should sacrifice to the recession

The Skinny on Marketing in a Recession

By Bob Bly

Whenever the country is in a recession, marketing trade publications run articles extolling the importance of continuing to advertise. Since these articles are usually contributed by ad agencies and marketing consultants, one could argue that they are self-serving.

As Warren Buffett says, "Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut."

Marketing professionals make money only when companies buy their services. But do they REALLY believe that spending money on advertising in a recession is smart business? Or are they pushing clients to keep spending so they themselves won't starve?

During a recession, when money is tight, should companies ramp up their marketing… keep it steady… cut back… or stop altogether?

Following the 1981-1982 recession, the McGraw-Hill Research Laboratory of Advertising Performance analyzed the performance of some 600 industrial companies during the downturn. Of course, we must keep in mind that McGraw-Hill, as a major publisher of trade journals, depends on ad revenues to maintain profitability. That being said, they found that "business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their marketing expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth both during the recession and for the following 3 years than those which eliminated or decreased marketing."

In a different study, Management Review asked American Management Association (AMA) member firms about their spending during the 1990-1991 recession. The data showed that most firms that increased their marketing budgets enjoyed gains in market share.

One of my readers, MT, owns a software company. In response to the recession, he has cut his budget for Google AdWords campaigns in half.

How did he determine what to trim?

Before the recession hit, MT ran 10 Google PPC ad campaigns – all profitable. "When the economy turned south, six of those PPC campaigns, those targeted mainly at fence-sitters who don't buy any longer, began to lose money," said MT. So he wisely cut those unprofitable PPC campaigns – and kept running the four that were moneymakers.

According to an article in Internet Retailer, nearly four out of five households earning $100,000 a year or more said they are cutting back their spending. And when consumers cut back on spending, your business can take a real hit – especially if you sell a product that's "nice to have" vs. one that customers absolutely must have.

So what can you do to maintain healthy sales during a recession that is likely to continue for some time?

The first thing big corporations cut in tough times is marketing. That's really stupid. And, yes, I know that, as a copywriter, I sound self-serving when I say this. But marketing, when done right, makes money, brings in customers, and generates sales.

During a recession, your biggest problem is making sales and maintaining revenues – exactly what marketing is designed to accomplish. So stopping all marketing really makes no sense. What DOES make sense is MT's approach:

1. Precisely measure the ROI (return on investment) from all your marketing campaigns.

2. Cut the ones that lose money.

3. Keep the ones that make money.

John Wanamaker, a famous retailer in his day, once said, "Half my advertising is wasted, but I don't know which half." But today, with direct-response measurement and Web analytics, we DO know which half is wasted. So we can fix or eliminate the wasted ads, and generate a positive ROI by running the ones that do work.

I am taking a survey on my website (www.bly.com) on how the recession has affected my visitors. So far, 38 percent of survey participants say their sales are flat, while 25 percent report increased sales and 37 percent have seen sales fall.

Eight out of 10 express some degree of worry about the effect the recession will have on their business and their sales. In response, 32 percent have increased their marketing budgets and 24 percent are spending less on marketing. Yet most are holding firm on pricing. More than 8 out of 10 say they have not lowered their prices to stimulate sales.

When it comes to predicting economic recovery, my survey participants are slightly pessimistic. Just over 57 percent believe the recession will end this year or (more likely) next year. Almost 43 percent say the country won't recover from the recession until 2011 or later.

To find out more about marketing and selling in a recession, click here now.

[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books. To subscribe to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and claim your free gift worth $116, click here now.

It might surprise you to know that many marketing channels cost nothing or next to nothing to explore. If you know what they are, and the best ways to use them, you can attract paying customers no matter what the economy is doing. Join Early to Rise and world-class marketing genius Bob Bly in the remarkable new program we've put together solely to solve today's most pressing business problem: How to make money during the recession. Get all the details here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

"Your ability to negotiate, communicate, influence, and persuade others to do things is absolutely indispensable to everything you accomplish in life."

- Brian Tracy

Translating negotiation tactics into sales copy;

5 Ways to Get Anybody to Say "Yes" to Anything

By John Forde

It was on the reply form I dashed off a day ago. At the top, I wrote what I've written on reply devices for nearly two decades: "YES!"

It was in the title of the audio book I downloaded this morning: Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive.

Now I'm on a plane, heading stateside for a meeting. And what movie was one of my choices? Yes Man, with Jim Carrey.

I didn't particularly want to watch it. And, no question, it was full of some dumb dialogue and slow moments. But there was something about the premise… a guy who had to say "yes" to everything… that was appealing.

"YES." What is it about that word?

We like people who say "yes." Yes gets you to opportunities. Without a "yes," no sale ever happens.

One study even shows that if you can get people to say "yes" to ANYTHING, even a question about the time or the weather, you'll have an easier time getting them to say yes to bigger requests afterward.

But how do you get a "yes" out of someone who really doesn't want to give you one?

A while back, I read a book by William Ury called Getting Past No: Negotiating With Difficult People. The parallels between some of Ury's techniques and what works in sales copy were striking.

Here's a rundown…

* Negotiator Tactic #1: Don't react.

Ever sent an e-mail to a client, colleague or… well, to anyone you wish you could reel back in? Well, Ury says don't. It's one of the first and biggest mistakes we make hoping to work toward a relationship-building response.

Instead, says Ury, "go to the balcony." That is, step out and get some air. Take a breath. Count to 10. Maybe even 100. And only then, react. This gives you time to figure out not only what you want out of the negotiation, but what your prospect wants as well. It also chills your passions so you can form a strategically smart (rather than unfocused and wild-eyed) response.

Sales Copy Connection: It's great to feel passionate about what you're selling. But before launching into a feverish sales "rationale"… actively map out what it is your prospect really wants. Some prospects want security, others excitement. Some want vindication, others want proof that helps boost confidence in their own opinions.

What is it you're really selling? Is it what you should be selling? Know before you get started. Often it's something more or deeper than the thing you're excited about. And sometimes, it's less.

* Negotiator Tactic #2: Disarm your opponent.

In selling, we're not really talking about "opponents." The prospect is not your enemy. And in a negotiation, Ury says, you're better off thinking the same way. That is, instead of looking at negotiations as two sides facing off over two sides of an issue, you'll get much better results if you "step to the other side." In other words, do the opposite of what your target expects.

And the easiest way to do this? Simply agree with your "opponent" on as many points as you can. Build consensus first, before you try to defend a single counterpoint of your own. Ury tells us the best negotiators even steer clear of using the word "but." They instinctively replace it with "and" wherever possible.

Sales Copy Connection: This is a lot like what we're doing in sales copy when we try to ask questions designed only for a "yes" response. For instance, stating our prospect's own rationale right back to him and tacking on a line at the end – something along the lines of "Wouldn't you agree?"

These are just tricks, of course. The bigger idea is that when you can show agreement with your prospect's own opinions – in person or in print – do so. It will pay off in the end.

* Negotiator Tactic #3: Change the game by changing the frame.

This is a more advanced tactic, because it requires listening better than most people and thinking more creatively than anyone else in the negotiation. But it's key, says Ury, to negotiating effectively.

What you're doing is looking for solid ways to "reframe" the objections to your counterpoint in the discussion. You're actively exposing the objections and stonewall tactics… then finding a way for both of you to get around them.

This is where a pro shows his or her mettle.

Sales Copy Connection: As tough as this is to do, the parallel here is easy. Too often, I've seen junior copywriters try to avoid the prospect's potential objections to a sale rather than raising them in their copy. But just because you don't confront the reader's doubts doesn't mean they don't exist. Or that they won't stop your sale cold in its tracks.

When you get the urge to sneak around an objection, don't. Take a sheet of paper and actually list every objection you can. (Even better, make this list before you start writing the sales letter.) You're playing your own devil's advocate, coming up with every reason why a prospect might NOT want to buy what you're offering – or, at least, not buy it from you.

Once you've got this list, you can use it to tweak your sales outline. You can even hit each objection head on, writing responses almost in a Q & A style. Or try making every subhead a persuasive resolution to every doubt you suspect your prospect might have.

But be careful. You don't want to come across as if you're working to trounce an argument or crush your adversary. Rather, you're easing doubts and building consensus.

* Negotiator Tactic #4: Build a golden bridge.

Ury urges negotiators NOT to push against resistance. Rather, he says, involve your prospect by incorporating his ideas into your solution.

You want to avoid, at all costs, "winning" a negotiation by making the other side feel like they're making a concession. In fact, you want to avoid "winning" the negotiation.

Instead, let the other side feel like they own the victory, to share only if they're willing. In short, let them "save face" and retain control over the decision to go along with whatever it is you've suggested.

Sales Copy Connection: This is a no-brainer. You can never force-feed a sale. The moment your prospect feels he's losing control over the decision, you've lost him.

Remember, you're asking your reader to take a risk when they check the "yes" box or click the order button. Give them reason to feel good – and safe – by taking that chance. Generous guarantees, instant rewards and hefty premiums, immediate discounts or results can all help make this happen.

And finally…

* Negotiator Tactic #5: Make it hard to say no.

"Bring your opponent to his senses, not to his knees," says Ury. You're not looking to punish him for saying no. You're looking to show him the cost of not saying yes.

Sales Copy Connection: Try this tactic elsewhere in your copy, but especially in your close. Think of it as an inversion of the classic problem-solution lead.

That is, you open by stating a big problem… you offer a big solution… and then, when it comes time to seal the deal, you back off in the middle of the close and restate the problem again. But this time, as a contrasting backdrop for the solutions you've presented.

Not as a threat. Rather, as a way to make the positives of your offer stand out, sharpened by the comparison.

Good advice, overall? I think so. And I recommend that you check out Ury's book. You can find it easily on Amazon.com or, in audio, in the iTunes bookstore.

[Ed. Note: To get more of copywriting expert John Forde's wisdom and insights into marketing (and much more), sign up for his free e-letter, Copywriter's Roundtable, at www.copywritersroundtable.com. Or send an e-mail to signup@jackforde.com. Get a free report about 15 deadly copy mistakes and how to avoid them when you sign up today.

For more expert advice on how to become a "highly effective person"... the kind of person who succeeds where others fail... who instinctively knows how to burst through roadblocks and obstacles that leave others stumped and stalled... pick up a copy of Michael Masterson's Power and Persuasion.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

"The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going."

- Napoleon Hill

How to Make Room for What's Important With a Simple 5-Second Exercise

By Bob Cox

It's easier to accomplish any goal when you make it your top priority. That often means focusing less on something else in your life – or eliminating it altogether – to make room for what now has to be done.

Let's say you and your spouse are planning for the arrival of your first child – and you've made it your number one goal to make sure everything goes smoothly. Well, that's going to take a lot of time. Regular visits to the ob-gyn… setting up the nursery… reading up on child care. Doing all that requires you to make adjustments to what had been your schedule.

By deciding in advance what you can take out in order to make room for what you are going to put in, you will be ahead of the game.

Try this little exercise to see what I mean…

My goal is to ______________________________.

I can take out _________________________ and ____________________ to make room.

For example:

• My goal is to exercise regularly.

  I can take out staying up late and I can get up earlier to make room.

• My goal is to spend more time with my spouse.

  I can take out playing golf every Sunday and nights out with friends to make room.

• My goal is to increase sales.

  I can take out unimportant meetings and long lunch hours to make room.

Can you see how this works? Now it is your turn!

Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a Word document, create the template shown above, and start filling in the blanks.

I promise this will help you keep your goals on track, put them back on track, or get yourself started in the right direction.

MaryEllen's Secret to Enjoying a Balanced Life

MaryEllen Tribby, Publisher and CEO of Early to Rise, is brimming with energy and a passion for excellence in business. She is also married and has three beautiful children.

MaryEllen has a lot on her plate in all areas of her life. She is often asked how she can possibly balance running a multimillion-dollar company AND managing her home life. In an article she wrote for ETR - The Balancing Act That's Up to You – this mega-successful working woman, wife, and mother gave much of the credit to taking three simple steps:

• Step #1. Having the Right Attitude
• Step #2. Making the Right Choices
• Step #3. Developing the Right Relationships

In the article, MaryEllen shared a story to illustrate Step #2. As it happens, that same story can be applied to my message today.

She had an opportunity to attend a major networking party in Texas. Everyone who is anyone in the information publishing industry was going to be there. She immediately RSVP'd, and began thinking about all the deals she could make that would benefit ETR.

But while reviewing her travel plans with her husband, he pointed out that she would be away on the first day of the new school year. With three young kids in school, this is a huge event in MaryEllen's world. She wanted to be there!

So even though her husband encouraged her to go, assuring her that he could handle the excitement of the first day of school without her… no way was MaryEllen going to miss it. After thinking through the consequences of missing the networking party or missing the first day of school, she made the decision to send someone else to Texas.

If she had used our little "take out" exercise, she would have come to the same conclusion. She probably would have done it this way:

My goal is to be present at my children's first day of school.

I can take out the networking event and find time later to talk to or meet with everyone I would have seen that day to make room.

Your Personal Balancing Act

MaryEllen is the first to admit that she is not Superwoman. The truth is, she sincerely believes everyone can have a balanced life.

"You just need to want it… and act to achieve it," she says.

That works for me, and I am betting it will work for you. You can find your own personal balance by using my "take out" exercise to help manage your priorities. It's all about taking ownership of what you want – and making room for the good choices you need to make to get your goals done.

[Ed. Note: It is entirely possible to turn every dream you have into reality. Allow success guru and "Mentor to Billionaires" Bob Cox to help you every step of the way. Get all the details here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

How to Build a Successful Downline
By Dan T Himes

When you're trying to build a successful team of people there are going to be some who are really motivated, some who just need a little nudge and some who are just going to drag you down. Do yourself and your entire team a favor and leave the slackers alone! Pretty much everyone who has worked from home knows that there are going to be people that are impossible to motivate. They say their want success with their mouths but their actions say otherwise. It can be really easy to waste a lot of time and energy on these type of people… but don't do it!

I'm not saying that those slackers can't be on your team, but don't let them bring you or your other team members down. If you have a negative or lazy person on your team (and who doesn't) the best thing to do is just to leave them alone. Spend your time on the people who really want success and are willing to work hard for it after all they deserve it. Obviously there are good people who just need a little encouragement or a bit of your time to get back on the right track but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the people who no matter what you say or do they always have something negative to say or they just plain don't take action. Action is the real measure of how much someone wants success in a home based business. It's super easy to say that you want to make a lot of money from home, Lord knows most people do. But there is a difference between wanting it and doing what it takes to earn it!

This may sound like a really mean approach but sometimes that is just what these type of people need. They need to know that the way to get attention is to work for it. Stop complaining and start doing something. If people really want to have success they'll get it no matter what you say and if they don't there isn't anything you could do to motivate them.

So forget about the slackers and start spending time on the part of your team that is serious about success. It will be a great move for you and your entire downline!

Dan Himes

http://www.Danielhimes.com

Danswayout@gmail.com

360-936-9039

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_T_Himes
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The "Passkey" That Can Get You In With Hollywood Big-Wigs, Fortune 500 CEOs, Famous Authors, and More

By Michael Masterson

If you could grab the attention of one very influential person… who would it be? And how could making that connection change your life?

From my own experience, I can tell you that knowing how to connect with the right people can…

• Get you a job. This is how our very own Managing Editor Suzanne Richardson got hired at ETR – despite the fact that I'd never met her in person, and she lived in New York rather than Florida.
• Send your company soaring to new heights. If I hadn't known MaryEllen Tribby through a few other marketers, I might never have known she was the perfect pick for ETR's CEO… and ETR wouldn't have skyrocketed from an $8 million business to a $26 million business in just two years.
• Expand your marketing reach, grow your customer list, and add millions in sales to your bottom line. The relationships ETR has formed with joint venture partners have brought in tens of millions of dollars for us. And ETR's parent company, Agora, grew its investment newsletter business from $1 million to $60 million in just 15 years, primarily through joint venture marketing deals.

Master copywriter Bob Bly calls relationship building "the most important factor determining your success as an Internet marketer… or in virtually any other business."

"The quality and quantity of your contacts and your relationships will have more to do with your success than perhaps any other factor," says information marketing superstar and self-development guru Brian Tracy. "Knowing the right people and being known by them can open doors for you that can save you years of hard work."

Says entrepreneur Paul Lawrence, "Making deals with powerful partners is one of the best ways to 'leapfrog' your way to a position of influence and profitability in the blink of an eye."

Need Oprah to make your book a bestseller? Want to get Bill Gates's take on your new software platform? Looking for business advice from Peter Drucker?

You might think these people are too famous for you to ever connect with.

But you're wrong.

Today, I'm going to show you how to get the attention of practically anyone.

This surprisingly simple "passkey" to success comes from Larry Benet, who will be on the panel of experts speaking at ETR's Info Marketing Bootcamp this November.

Larry has rubbed elbows with Donald Trump, Larry King, Richard Branson, and many other "movers and shakers." He's helped dozens of clients make connections that helped them skyrocket their income and reach their dreams.

From "Lowly" Salesman to Master Connector

Larry discovered his "passkey" on the tennis court, of all places.

He had started his corporate career by working as a "lowly sales guy." But then, one day, he took a hard look at the three men he was playing tennis with.

All three were CEOs. Each was worth a couple of hundred million. They were three of the most influential people in Larry's industry.

He thought to himself, "How did I, once just a cog in the big corporate wheel, manage to penetrate this inner circle?"

He realized it had to do with his innate ability to connect with other people. And soon he discovered that he could put his gift into easy-to-follow steps that anyone could use.

One of the most effective steps in Larry's "formula" is to ask a simple question.

The "Passkey" to Making Critical Business and Life Connections

Whenever Larry wants to connect with someone, he asks, "How can I help you?"

These five words allowed him to connect with Larry King in under 60 seconds… and persuaded Richard Branson to hand over his personal e-mail address in under 30 seconds.

If you use this powerful phrase correctly, and put it to work for yourself or your business, Larry firmly believes you could easily add an extra $50,000 to $100,000 to your bottom line. But I believe developing new relationships with people in key positions in your industry can make you much, much more over time.

I've talked before about how critical the mentor/protege relationship is in business. When you're just starting out, the advice and support of an experienced person in your field will give you a shortcut to success as an entrepreneur. Then, later in your career, having a relationship with a superstar who can take on some (or eventually all) of the burden of running your business is like striking gold.

"One of my biggest business assets has been the 'big-name' relationships I've created and nurtured over the years," says Alex Mandossian, CEO of Heritage House Publishing Inc. One notable example: his relationship with author Jack Canfield, which expanded his customer list by thousands.

With Larry's passkey, you will have the ability to connect with anyone at any time you wish.

Just imagine all the benefits that skill could bring you…

• You could meet celebrities…
• Get interviews with Fortune 500 CEOs…
• Find new clients, investors, or partners.

The sky is the limit.

Now this five-word passkey can get you "in" with almost anyone. But to maintain the relationship and watch it grow into something profitable… you need to master a few additional strategies.

A Proven Formula for Making Your High-Value Relationships Grow and Prosper

Larry will be unveiling these connection-forging strategies at ETR's Bootcamp this November. Not only that, he will show you how to put these strategies to work.

That's what he's done for his top clients.

"Carlos," for instance, was already a successful purveyor of business trade show signs – but he desperately wanted to get into the Hollywood scene. He'd been trying for 10 years. Then he met up with Larry. Within 72 hours of learning Larry's secrets to forging connections, Carlos had landed his first two Hollywood clients. Now, you can see Carlos's signage behind the stars at red carpet premieres. (And Carlos is currently in the process of using his connections to become an executive film producer.)

Then there's Geoff, a top recruiter for a financial services company who's been working with Larry for over two years. In that time, he's been able to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars by forming joint ventures with some of the biggest names in real estate and investing.

And Larry's been putting his connection-forging strategies to work for himself, too. That's how he got an invitation to speak at ETR's Bootcamp!

The ONLY Event You Should Attend This Fall

Of course, Larry isn't the only expert who'll be "telling all" at Bootcamp. And his relationship-building formula isn't the only cash-generating strategy Bootcamp attendees will discover.

Bootcamp is going to be a showcase of the most mindboggling collection of cutting-edge, breakthrough ideas presented by the finest group of marketing geniuses ever assembled in one place.

When you leave this event, you'll have a locked-and-loaded arsenal of real, practical, and powerful techniques for building your wealth.

MaryEllen and her team have assembled a world-class panel of moneymaking visionaries from across the nation. We're talking about Rich Schefren, Joe Polish, Mike Koenigs, Clayton Makepeace, Howie Jacobson, Chris Chickering, and many more.

These men and women will reveal EXACTLY how to start bringing in cash right now – and how to keep it coming in.

And every one of them has pledged to show you at least one specific technique that could have you bringing in an extra $10,000 within the next six months:

• The "Missing Link" in your business that could make you $5 million…
• The secret to reaching 4.5 billion (that's billion with a "B") potential customers…
• How to produce $5 million in online sales per month off a single product…

And that's just a tiny sampling.

By the way, I'll be speaking at Bootcamp as well. It's the only presentation I'll give this year, and I can't wait to blow you away with the hot wealth-building trend I see coming down the pike.

Bootcamp is THE ONLY event where you can get access to the leaders in information marketing. You won't find such a powerful concentration of game-changing ideas and revolutionary strategies anywhere else.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.