Not “spam” but “junk folder.” Okay, that’s two, but it’s my newsletter so I get a little poetic license. Trivial matters aside, study after study shows that the average click-thru rate for most e-mail is in the 2%-3% range, meaning a whopping 97%-98% never had a chance to connect with your recipient – and people aren’t just deleting you, they’re …
In looking through the classified ads in the back of Response magazine (opposite), I was appalled to discover that not one single advertisement – NOT ONE – used direct response marketing. ALL lacked a compelling headline, OFFER, benefits or testimonials, and MANY didn’t have a means for responding – which is the entire purpose of direct response marketing: to elicit …
From the department of Answer Your Damned Phone: Here’s an e-mail sent in by a Producers Club member reporting a true story about a Google PPC lead received by another Producers Club member in his Accountability Group. This is a MUST-READ: “So, my friend in Knoxville, TN, is doing Google AdWords. He currently uses a virtual receptionist company to answer …
1. Pricing your services in the same manner as everyone else. When most MSPs go into business, they look around and talk to all the other MSPs in the business, their contracts and what they are delivering and then model THEIR services after what they see. What they don’t realize is that what they’re doing is building a commodity—a service …
Over the last several months I’ve been listening to recordings of inbound phone calls to my clients’ offices (MSPs) from prospects coming to them via a search on Google for IT support. My intention was to listen for commonalities in questions, words or comments that I could then use in headlines and offers to improve the conversion on these particular …
At last month’s Boot Camp I opened up with a session on how to raise your rates and get paid more for the services you are already delivering. I personally believe I need to drive home on this point more with all clients, pressing them to answer the question: What can you do, offer or change that would allow you …
I have been getting a LOT of questions around the topic of creating a unique selling proposition. Confusion abounds. Therefore I thought I would take a moment to give a quick refresher on what it is, why you need it and how it’s used. First, a quick history lesson: Rosser Reeves coined the phrase “unique selling point” back in the …
Consider this: your absolute BEST prospect is someone who is already paying money for outsourced IT support. They obviously have a need and have demonstrated a willingness to pay for the types of services you offer. The problem is they are paying someone besides YOU for the service and have an existing relationship in place. So the question then becomes, …
Two questions from Brad Ashmore, Practical Technology Services: 1. “Can you provide the steps to properly brand my new startup company?” 2. “What is the best way to find a qualified business partner to join me in this new venture?” As a new startup, you have a special place in my heart because I’ve been in your shoes. And since you’re …
Here’s a question I often get: “At what point should you stop marketing to someone on your list?” My personal opinion is that you never stop unless they specifically tell you to stop, give you reason to believe they will never buy from you or they give some indication that they aren’t the type of client you’d want to acquire. …
