Words that Sell

We all know the English language contains hundreds of thousands of words. But did you know that only 21 of them can easily sell your clients? Yes! It's true. When you know what these proven words are and how to use them to your company's benefit, you'll save both time and money when selling to prospects. In fact, once you master the use of these 21 words, your business will quickly get the results it deserves. (Hint: this paragraph contains 10 of the 21 words. Did you spot them all?)

What's in a Word?

The exact words you use in your company's marketing materials can make the difference between success and failure. Choose the right words and your prospects will find you and your company irresistible. Choose the wrong words and you'll spend most of your time convincing prospects to do business with you. Why waste your time selling prospects on your products or services when you can let strategically written marketing pieces do the work for you? When it comes to writing marketing pieces, your word choices do matter. Following are the top 10 of the 21 words that sell. Use them wisely and watch your marketing response rates soar.

The Top 10 Words that Sell

1. You/your - "You" is the most powerful word in the English language. It's more powerful than the word "money;" it's more powerful than the word "sex." Prospects want to feel as if you're talking to them directly, and the word "you" accomplishes just that. So instead of writing, "Our clients report increased productivity as a result of using the Widget 2100," write, "You will experience increased productivity as a result of using the Widget 2100." Keep every sentence in your prospect's perspective.

2. Money - Ask people what they wish they had more of, and chances are they'll say "money." People love to save money just as much as the love to earn it. So if a benefit of your product or service is that it saves people money or helps them earn more money, state it along with a monetary figure people can grasp. For example: "Using the Widget 2100 saves you money - over $5000 per year!"

3. Health/healthy - The second thing people wish they had more of is good health. People want products and services that are going to either improve their health or not negatively impact it. For example: "Vitamin X improves your health and well being by?" or "Pesticide Y has no known health implications," or "Product Z is part of a healthy diet."

4. Guarantee/guaranteed - By nature, most people are not risk takers. They want assurance that they're not wasting their money and that your product or service can live up to its claims. By giving some sort of guarantee, you put prospects at ease and make them trust you. For example: "We're so confident the Widget 2100 will work for you that we offer a full money-back guarantee."

5. Easy/easily - Between 40+ hour workweeks and increasing demands at home, people want things that are easy. They don't want products or services that are going to make their life more difficult. So always state how easy your company makes things. For example: "The Widget 2100 makes it easy for you to?" Or, "With the Widget 2100, you can easily remove spots from your carpet once and for all."

6. Free - Everyone loves getting something for nothing. That's why the word "free" continues to be one of the top selling words of all time. Realize that the free offer doesn't have to have a high monetary value, just a high perceived value. Some freebies that work include: "Free consultation," "Free estimate," "Free report," "Free shipping," and "Buy one get one free."

7. Yes - Face it, you love being told "yes," don't you? "Yes" means you have permission, you were right, or you can get what you want. "Yes" is one of the most pleasing words to the human ear. So tell your prospects "yes" often. For example, in your marketing materials, you can ask a series of positive yes/no questions, and then write, "If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then the Widget 2100 is what you've been searching for."

8. Quick/quickly - In today's microwave age society, people want things quickly. They don't want to wait weeks or even days for the results you promote. They want to know they'll see a quick return for their investment now. So while the perception of quick results may vary from person to person, as long as you know that your product or service is quicker than something else, state it. For example: "Lose weight quickly," "Make money quickly," and "Quick and tasty meals from your own kitchen."

9. Benefit - Most written marketing pieces do state the benefit of the product or service; however, they neglect to actually use the word "benefit." When people read the word "benefit," they subconsciously perk up. They know they're about to learn something that will impact their life, so they want to know more. For example, "As an added benefit to this product, you get (state the benefit)."

10. Person's name - People love to hear the sound of their own name and they love to read their name in print. That's why so many souvenir shops sell personalized items-from magnets to coffee mugs. Including the prospect's name in a marketing piece, especially in the middle of the sentence, boosts attention levels. For example, "As you can see, Steve, the Widget 2100 makes perfect sense for your needs."

The Remaining 11

The other eleven words that sell are: 1) Love, 2) Results, 3) Safe/safely, 4) Proven, 5) Fun, 6) New, 7) Save, 8) Now, 9) How-to, 10) Solution, and 11) More. While synonyms to these 21 words are acceptable, synonyms are not as powerful as the actual word itself. So in order to not appear redundant in your marketing piece, use the appropriate word wisely, and don't overdo it.

As your marketing writing prowess increases, consider combining words that sell in the same sentence. For example, maybe your product works "quickly, safely, and easily." Or, perhaps your service makes cooking "easy and fun." Or, are your "proven results guaranteed"? You get the idea. Since short marketing pieces are more powerful than long one, make sure every sentence packs a punch.

When you use these 21 words in every marketing piece, you quickly increase your prospect's interest in what you write, which ultimately leads to more money for you. So master the use of these proven words now. Doing so, dear reader, gives you the easy solution to achieve high marketing response rates you've been waiting for.

Can you do it? Yes! And you're going to love the results. Guaranteed!

Four Keys For Successful Foundation and Corporate Fundraising

Earlier in my career, I worked for a training and technical assistance service provider with significant revenue from foundations and corporations. What was the key to success? It was targeted fundraising based on the needs of the donors.

Unfortunately, many organizations take another approach. They send a shower of requests hoping one might land in the right spot. As a board member of a grantmaking organization with no paid staff, I review requests that are based on this "shower" approach. They have little chance of being funded. Why? In most cases, the requests either do not relate to our grantmaking initiatives or the amount of money requested is well above our capabilities.

In the current fundraising environment of fewer dollars and more nonprofits, you can't afford to waste your time and resources. There are four keys to more successful fundraising.

Be clear about who you are

You must be clear about:

The community need you are addressing

How your mission addresses that need

The precise activities or services for which you are seeking support

Who will benefit from these activities or services

Your expected outcomes

Your measures of success

The type and amount of resources you need to achieve your desired results

Invest in prospect research

Once you are clear about your needs, shift your focus to the needs of your potential donors. Learn their history and their unique interests. Learn their guidelines, policies and grantmaking procedures. Learn their funding patterns, including the specific types of grants and the dollar amounts. The more information you gather the more likely it is that you will be able to find a realistic match.

Create value

All nonprofits exist to make a difference. But in order to attract funding, you must be able to answer two key questions: Will your request help the donor meet their philanthropic goals? In what specific ways will the donor benefit from contributing to your organization?

If you can develop a compelling statement describing "what's in it for them", you have probably found a good match.

In addition, you must demonstrate that you are a mission-focused, results-oriented organization by:

Presenting a well-developed plan for implementing and evaluating your activities Providing evidence of your competence and capacity to deliver Documenting that you will be able to sustain your proposed activities.

Build community partnerships

Foundation and corporate funders receive many more requests than they are able to fund. They are keenly aware of the duplication that is prevalent in the nonprofit sector and the large number of nonprofits requesting funds to address related issues.

Corporations and foundations are more likely to fund requests (and to give higher amounts) if the work plan demonstrates a true partnership among several organizations. Working through turf and other issues is difficult, but it is worth the effort.

All of us spend a great deal of time raising money from corporations and foundations. Investing time and resources in researching the most likely prospects increases your chances for success. Focusing on the benefits prospects will gain from supporting you will increase your chances even more.

Marketing to Success on a ZERO Budget

TOP 10 TIPS TO GET YOU MARKETING TO SUCCESS ON ZERO DOLLARS!

I come across so many people that absolutely freak out when they think about having to market their business. Heaps of questions come up like, 'Where do I start?', 'I hate selling', 'How do I market my business when I don't have any money?'?.. Most of these people absolutely LOVE what they do, but detest having to 'sell' their service to receive an income from it.

You'll love it when I say it's easy to start and anyone can do it with a little planning and preparation, you DON'T HAVE TO SELL, yes believe it! If you market well and consistently you won't EVER have to sell again - now how's that for great news?! And best of all you DON'T NEED MONEY to do it. Its music to your ears isn't it?! And it's true, I created, built and established a business that replaces my income from every job I ever had based on some simple strategies that you can adapt to your business and your style - and in addition to that, they're easy and I'D LOVE TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU RIGHT NOW! Ready? You'll be surprised?.

These 10 strategies are what I would call the basic backbone of any marketing plan and are important to anyone wishing to build a successful business. They're so easy that sometimes people overlook them, or worse, think they're not important enough to warrant doing, which often results in a fatal outcome.

1. BE PASSIONATE love what you do and let it show! Doing business with someone who is excited, passionate and happy, is completely different to doing business with someone who is grumpy, bored and even angry. Now this doesn't mean you have to leap up excitedly and run over and hug the person when they meet you! All it means is being nice, friendly, helpful, focused and present for your customer and their needs - now isn't that easy?? If you're doing something right now that you aren't passionate about, stop causing yourself and everyone you deal with pain - instead look at things you do love doing and can do passionately? All that's stopping you from doing it is YOU?

2. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR BUSINESS AND KEEP FOCUSED if you don't have a plan in place of where you wish to be, and how you want you business to be functioning in a year or 2 - then you're on the road without a map! You'll go round and round in circles, and life will be a little chaotic. Not only will you be confused, in most cases your clients and team will certainly feel the adverse effects of this lack of direction too. Start thinking about where you see yourself and your business this time next year, then go about setting up little goals (or steps) for yourself that are achievable between now and then to ensure you set yourself up for a successful and profitable outcome.

3. HAVE SOME SUPER EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE to back you up in business. Make sure you're organised with systems that will assist you and your clients. Simple strategies like having a diary or schedule so you don't double book or forget things. A phone that works and has good coverage if it is a cell phone, a quick and easy system and standard in place to return calls if you miss some. Let's face it, if you're returning calls to clients a week later, it's highly possible that you will have already lost their business. If you send out quotes, have a system such as diarizing a follow up call. Systems can make or break your business. Stick to your schedule so you're not running behind. If you're continually late, can't find things when clients call you up, your payment system is off the rails, products are late etc then you'll find your clients start to dwindle quickly. So challenge yourself to implement at least one effective system per week that can make your life and your clients' lives a whole lot easier.

4. SPEAK UP silent passion is not going to get you anywhere. If people don't know what you're doing then how can they do business with you, or refer you to others? One of the cheapest and most powerful marketing strategies is networking. That doesn't mean you have to impose yourself on everyone who comes into your space! Instead it means to be prepared for what you will say when the opportunity arises or when you can create an opportunity to communicate with the person about what you do. And remember to speak up to your family and friends; this is a real bug bear among many entrepreneurs and small business people starting out. Don't be shy about what you do, or what you are creating for yourself - speak up, be proud!

5. LIST YOUR BUSINESS with online sites that will happily have your business submitted and shown on their directory for free - get out there! If you have a website, you'll find numerous businesses or organizations in your local area, state, country and also globally that will accept an online listing from you. Remember this opportunity can help you build your exposure and profile. Take ½ an hour each week to list your business somewhere different. Just make sure you keep track of who they all are so you can update your details if necessary in the future.

6. BUILD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS its amazingly important with everyone you deal with. Building great relationships with your clients can increase business, profitability and longevity beyond your wildest dreams if done well. It's just as important to build good relationships with your associates, you'd be surprised how many sales reps, suppliers and clients can feel the energy of a happening, successful and happy business when they walk into your business, and you'll be surprised at how these people can talk! Make sure they talk about you for the right reasons.

7. ADD VALUE to your clients in any way you can. There are so many people out there giving standard service, it's actually not that hard to give superior service. If you're not sure where to start, simply ask your clients how else you could help them! Also remember to ask them what they'd be willing to pay for that extra value or service. Basics such as remembering their birthday or something else that's important to them so you can send a Christmas card or small gift with their interest in mind etc. Little things such as, if your client is into golf an email to let them know of an upcoming golf event with a 'saw this today and thought you may be interested in it, happy golfing, jack' or a golf ball with your logo on it given to them out of the blue, and if you really have some money in the bank a round of golf for 2 at the best golf club in their area? Obviously you need to put your prices up to ensure you're not running at a loss but people buy value - they love to be made to feel special and this is what the marketing strategy 'adding value' is all about. Until you can afford to spend some $$$, a cold water or cup of coffee, a call, an email or a bit more time in getting to know your client goes a long way.

8. DO THE LITTLE THINGS EXCEPTIONALLY WELL EVERY SINGLE TIME you'd be surprised at how well that rates in a clients mind. Things like being on time, such a small thing but how many times have you heard people complain that their tradesman, doctor, hairdresser etc who was late? How many times did that professional call you prior to you arriving at the site to it to let you know they were going to be late? I can guarantee you with all of us put together, we'd be able to count the amount of times (if any) on our fingers! Such a little thing makes your client feel respected. And just how much effort does it really take?? Hardly a thought, all it really entails is a little system to be put in place for you and your team to follow through on it every time to ensure your client is respected and will come to you again.

9. ASK THE BIG QUESTION which is, how did they find you, where did they hear about you? Every business big or small needs to put this at the top of their list. If you don't know where your clients are coming from then how on earth do you know what marketing initiatives are working? There is a valid quote that goes 'Only 50% of marketing works, do you know which half is working for you?' Amazingly many don't, and that's because they don't ask their clients that all important question.

10. DON'T GO IT ALONE you don't need to! How many millionaires and business success stories have said they had mentors and coaches that were instrumental in helping them get there? LOADS!!!! Most will tell you they had a little help and guidance, the truly honest ones will tell you they could not have done it without their mentors and coaches. There is no shame in asking others for help, truly, you don't need to walk this path alone, after all, anyone who has ever had a business knows what a huge task it is. You can fast track yourself, save yourself loads of time, energy and money, AND your sanity if seek out some people who are excellent at areas you need experience in. Some excellent Zero dollar solutions and hints can come in the form of simply signing up for a newsletter or free teleclass on subjects of interest. It's a terrific and low cost starting place to help you build up your business. Try mine for more marketing strategies and ideas each month - sign up on the website www.marketingtosuccess.com

If you're having problems with getting your business off the ground or need to lift it to the next level, sign up for an introductory session with Rachael for just $100USD, you'll also be able to claim it as a business expense for training and marketing.

Go get them! and Abundant Success To You!
Rachael Bermingham, Leading Female Marketing Strategist

Go Guerrilla

Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I define as low-cost, creative and typically self-implemented public relations techniques.

Here are a few thoughts that might spawn some ideas for your own business.

* When you can't get in to see a prospect, try clipping half a $20 bill in a note to her. You get 20 minutes of her time and she gets the rest of the $20 when the meeting is over.

* Prior to a trade show, visit the town's largest taxi company, and tell them to alert drivers you will have secret shoppers riding in taxis. If the taxi driver mentions your company and booth number to your secret shopper, the driver gets $100. Invest a little money on the show's first day, and get the buzz started.

* Hire college students to go to the airport dressed as chauffeurs. They hold up hand-lettered signs that contain the company name, and repeat the name of the company as people come by. Work the terminals where flights from your best markets come in. about trade show marketing.

* Retailers tend to overreact to a few consumer phone calls. So, take advantage of this if you are trying to get your new product on the shelf. Recruit a few friends to call the retailer in question and ask if they have your new product in stock. This works particularly well if you have some recent media coverage the caller can cite.

* Technology is making hand-written notes a thing of the past. Take the time to jot a short note to customers and thank them for their business. You'll be surprised by the kind of goodwill and repeat business this old-fashioned tactic can generate.

Helping Your Prospects Overcome "Buying Fears" By Using Testimonials

You DO use direct marketing for your small business? right? If so, you're taking advantage of the most cost-effective means of advertising available. (Yes? I'm biased? I admit it!)

Let's talk for a minute about how you can make your sales copy and direct marketing more effective.

One of the simplest yet most powerful ways to strengthen your sales copy is to include testimonials. The purpose of having testimonials is to add "objective" credibility to your promises. And when used correctly - - testimonials can do just that.

Good Testimonials Will Separate You from the Crowd

I read a great sales letter this morning. It came from a local heating/cooling service contractor in my area. His headline was perfect. His pitch was superb. His "reasons-why" advertising justified both his offer and his price.

His sales letter lacked only one thing?

? "proof" that he can deliver on his promises by demonstrating he has already delivered on his promises to others.

People want to know who they can trust. Testimonials will do that for you. This is even MORE important if you have a business on the web.

Buying from an unfamiliar seller on the web can be a scary thing. But once you've delivered on your promises to a satisfied customer the trust factor goes up for them exponentially. Your next sale is much easier to make.

Do What Ebay and Amazon Do in Order to Foster Trust

Both of these monster sellers provide a constant stream of customer feedback and testimonials. The testimonials cover both the sellers as individuals and the products themselves. It's all to satisfy the "proof" factor in selling. You've got to prove you can deliver the goods.

Testimonials provide you with a track record. They make the claims in your sales letter or direct mail package down-to-earth and believable.

The Most Effective Testimonials are:

1) Believable. Good testimonials talk about real benefits experienced by real people.

2) To the point. Each one should highlight one main benefit. If your customer has mentioned 3 really good benefits in their testimonial try to break up their 1 testimony into 3 testimonies. Use an ellipsis in the copy ?. like this ? to start and close the testimony where appropriate.

3) Natural. Keep the testimonials as unedited as possible. Clean up the spelling, of course, but for the most part keep things just as your customer has written (or spoken) them.

4) Detailed. The best testimonials aren't vague? they include details? specifics? processed data? juicy numbers? facts? etc.

5) Include the customer's name and where they live. The more information the better? "K. Smith, Pennsville, NJ" is better than "K.S. from N.J." But "Karen Smith (Owner, Styles Dress Shop), Pennsville, NJ" is best of all.

6) Placed next to relevant points in your sales letter. If you have a testimonial raving about the reliability of your product try to place it near any sales copy you have that addresses how reliable your product is. If the testimonial raves about how good your service is then place it near sales copy that compares your service performance with others.'

Final Words on Gathering Testimonials Effectively

Always ask your satisfied customers for testimonials. Create a standard form and at the top of it type in big letters, "Customer Feedback Form."

Then give them out to your customers and ask for comments ? "Did you like our product/service?" ? "Was there anything you didn't like about it?" ? "What was it you liked BEST about doing business with me?"? "Any additional Comments you'd like to make?"

And then, the final important question and request? "May we use your comments for promotional purposes?? please sign it and send back to me at?"

There you have it. Now - - gather some testimonials. Use them in all your sales copy. Watch your sales rise along with your credibility.

Corporate Gift Tips To Wow Clients & Associates

1) Know the company and their culture. Are they trendy and artistic or conservative and elegant? Your gift giving should reflect this. Also, global customs vary significantly. Ensure you understand the proper gift etiquette to avoid offending overseas clients.

2) Know the client - their likes, hobbies, and interests. When possible, personalize your gift. A theater or sports buff would really appreciate and remember tickets to an event.

3) Avoid religious themes or messages. Seasonal themes such as "Happy Holidays" work for everyone.

4) Stand out from the crowd! Think about sending your gift on an unexpected holiday. For example: "Thank You For Your Business" on Thanksgiving, "Looking Forward To Another Year of Doing Business With You" on New Years, or even "We love Doing Business With You" on Valentine's day.

5) Don't send the same thing every year. It's boring and will be taken for granted. Your gift provider is full of ideas and can often suggest something new and different.

6) Stay away from anything too personal or that can be misconstrued. You probably know not to buy lingerie, but the recipient's shortcomings may also need to be considered. A person with bad skin may be offended by a gift certificate for a facial. Also, be careful with wine or alcohol. The company may view it negatively or the individual may be a reformed alcoholic or non-drinker. Finally, consider whether the price of the gift is too extravagant. This may be a problem with company policy or at tax time. Food is always appropriate.

7) Don't use logo items if: You want the gift to be from you personally or if feel a huge logo across your gift may be viewed by the client as cheap.

8) Do use logo items if: You want to get the most bang for your buck. Just do it tastefully. Examples: Your company name imprinted on the ribbons in a gift basket or discreetly as a "private label" on a quality product in the basket. One of our clients prefers ribbons used inside the basket to avoid imprinted ribbon being removed and forgotten.

9) Idea for out of state clients: A regional themed food basket can work really well here - Greetings from Texas, New York, or New Jersey for example. Some companies even send these types of gifts to visiting VIPs or new hires as a "Welcome To Town."

10) Plan your holiday gift giving early. Think July or August! This will allow you to take advantage of big early purchase discounts and avoid rush delivery charges. It will also ensure that you get exactly what you want before it's sold out.

Have a question on gift etiquette? Email us at basketstar@usa.com

How To Get Celebrities To Endorse YOUR Product

How would you like celebrities to endorse your product?

Perhaps that sounds crazy. Well, here's the info...

But before anything else - let me stress that when I say "celebrities", I'm not talking about Tiger Woods or Tom Cruise!

Who I'm talking about is celebrities in YOUR market. People who are very highly thought of and well known in the market you're selling to. People who your target market look up to.

Take this real life example:

An online publisher named Alex was just about to launch an information product revealing psychological sales tactics.

However, even though his product was of the very highest quality, Alex was looking for something "extra" that would increase sales of the product even more.

What Alex wanted to achieve is to boost *credibility* in the sales message presenting the product. So visitors to his site would actually believe what they read, and therefore be a lot more likely to buy.

Now, since the product Alex was selling was revealing sales and marketing tactics, it would of course be purchased by people interested in selling more online.

So who better to give Alex a testimonial than a world famous marketing expert?...

Alex managed to get a testimonial from none other than Joe Sugarman - hugely successful direct marketer and famous for his BluBlocker sun glasses infomercials.

So - how do YOU go about boosting your own sales with testimonials from celebrities?

Well, let me firstly stress that unless you already have a relationship with the person (you know each other), there's a strong chance they won't reply to you. They may, or they may not. So be prepared for that.

Sending them an email is quick, but I get 200+ emails a day at the moment (spam included), and that's on the low end compared to the number of emails some people I know get.

So email may work if you're looking for a testimonial from a celebrity in your market, but don't hold your breath.

How about a phone call? It's worth a chance, but then again the person you're trying to reach may have a secretary, and what are your chances of getting past them with a testimonial request?

Or of course you could always send them a good ole fashioned "snail mail" letter, preferably including a complimentary copy of your product.

Will this work? Well, it will definitely help get their attention. You may want to contact them via email initially asking them for their postal address so you can send them a review copy of the product.

By doing that initially you're sure to get the right address, and it helps put a mental note in the person's mind that they're going to receive a package from you soon.

Or here's an almost fool proof way: why not buy time from them? Especially if they offer consulting already. It doesn't guarantee they'll offer a testimonial, but if your product's great, chances are they will.

So let's say you've got the product in their hands, and they like it. Here's the last step:

Make it as easy as possible for them. The people you contact are very busy, since that's how they got to where they are.

So what you need to do is write the testimonial for them. And once you've done that, send it over saying "I've included a potential testimonial outline for you. If you would be happy to offer a testimonial for the product, please feel free to change this draft testimonial as you would like to."

Now I can't guarantee you'll get testimonials every time you try, especially if you're not well known in the market or don't have a relationship with the person already. But if you don't try, you'll never know. And just one or two celebrity testimonials can make a real positive impact on your sales for the long term.