What two things do the following quotes have in common?
"I did a mailing once and never got any business."
"I sent a press release once and never got published in the
newspaper."
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"I attended a chamber of commerce meeting once and never
got any business from it."
The first common element is that these are actual quotes
I've heard-numerous times-from business owners, entrepreneurs
and independent business professionals. The second thing is they
all contain the word "once." Doing something once is an
event. Doing it over and over again is a process. The reason those
entrepreneurs made the statements above is because they viewed
marketing as an event. But marketing isn't an event-it's a
process, something you'll need to do over and over again if you
want to achieve results.
Direct marketing guru Dan Kennedy is a famed proponent of the
use of sequential mailings. His recommendation, one that has been
proven over and over, is that a series of three mailings that have
crafted messages with irresistible offers will attract potential
customers. Other experts say it takes six to eight times of
"touching" a prospect before they get in
purchase-readiness mode-one that puts you at the forefront of their
awareness so when it comes time for them to want or need your
product, they immediately think of you.
Let me explain how it works. Many times, I'll show up at a
networking event and hear this from the people I meet: "I see
you everywhere." What these people mean isn't that they
literally see me everywhere, but that they hear about my networking
events, they see our company's name in the paper as a result of
a press release, they see an ad for a seminar I'm presenting on
direct marketing or guerrilla marketing, or they've received a
postcard or letter from me.
If you add these efforts up, I've most likely touched a
prospect at least four or five times before they start recognizing
my name. They think they see me everywhere because I put my
marketing messages where my target market happens to be, and I do
this over and over-creating a true marketing process.
Do I get business when I hear that my prospects have seen me
everywhere? Not necessarily, but it provides confirmation that my
marketing efforts are working, it's one more touch my prospects
will remember, and when it comes time for that person to want or
need my services, they're going to think of that person or
company they "see everywhere."
Don't get discouraged if the response you get from one of
your marketing initiatives is lower than you expected. Do it
again-your response rate will go up. And plan your marketing
efforts so there's this sense of repetitiveness.
Jay Conrad Levinson, co-author with me of Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days, told me
one time that 90 percent of all marketing decisions are made with a
customer's subconscious mind. And the way to approach and get
into this subconscious mind is through repetition. This has been
proven by both researchers and practitioners. I've certainly
experienced it in my own direct mail program and when I
network.
And it all goes back to Direct Sales 101. There you learn that
it takes a minimum of six times of contacting a prospect before
they're ready to purchase. You'll also learn that most
salespeople stop after just three contacts. Look at the gap of
potential business represented there.
Marketing works the same way. I've literally gotten business
from prospects who have contacted me after many, many months of
sending them mailings, and they tell me, "You've been
mailing something to me every month for the past year. It's
time we do business together." This never would have happened
if I'd stopped my mailings at three.
So take my advice: Plan out your marketing efforts, keep the
idea of repetitiveness in mind, put your activities on a calendar,
and measure the increased activity you're sure to see results
from as you work through your marketing process.