We’ve been talking about Lester Wunderman’s “19 Things All Successful Direct Marketers Know.” And I am amazed that despite his success more people do not put his name in the same realm as Ogilvy.

Wunderman was responsible for many firsts in our industry and his book Being Direct is worth a read by every serious copywriter, marketing director and business owner.

One of the things Wunderman said  was that “Advertising Must Change Behavior, Not Just Attitudes.”

He went on to elaborate it like this:

“Favorable consumer attitudes go only part of the way to creating sales. It’s also the consumer’s accountable actions such as inquiries, product trials, purchases and repurchases that create profits.”

Truer words were never spoken.

Let me see if I can give you an example…

From time to time, I like to drink a beer or two. I don’t keep it stocked at the house and because I am not a regular drinker, I am not necessarily loyal to one brand.

However, I do watch a good bit of College football on the weekends (Go DAWGS!) and therefore see lots of beer commercials. So when I do go to the store I have “attitudes” or an image towards certain beer brands.

For instance I love the many entertaining Budweiser and Bud-light commercials. And recently, Miller light also has some entertaining commercials. So, my attitude towards these brands is that they are “fun.”

And while I am entertained, and while my “attitude” towards Budweiser is positive, I never buy Budweiser.

However,  I tend to be sold by the Sam Adams commercials. One in particular stands out is when they pointed out the fact that light ages beer – that’s why it is in dark bottles. But then Sam Adams took it a step further by pointing out that they make their 6-pack carriers taller to “keep out more light.”

Made sense to me and influenced my attitude in such a way that I took action… I changed my behavior from sitting on the couch drinking coke or sweet tea during a game to having a Sam Adams.

Interestingly, I still enjoyed the Budweiser commercials while drinking my Sam Adams.

Make sense? Can you see the difference in an attitude towards  a company or product compared to an accountable action?

I bet if you were to look around right now, you could find one item that you took action on buying and then think about a similar product that you have a favorable “attitude” towards but did not take action. What made the difference?

Feel free to share your example of attitude vs behavior in the comments below…

Those are the words that from the second of “19 things All Successful Direct Marketing Companies Know”

But what else did Lester Wunderman have to say on the topic?

Let’s take a look-see, shall we?

“The product must create value for each of its consumers. It must satisfy consumers’ unique differences, not their commonalities.”

OK… STOP right there! How in the heck are we supposed to make that happen?

If you, like me, have ever wondered… How do I make, or even advertise, one product to satisfy multiple thousands of unique consumers-

Ahhh, there’s the problem, isn’t it? We’ve slipped into thinking about us and the product again – not the consumer.

So let’s see what else Mr. Wunderman has to say…

“The call of the industrial revolution was manufacturers saying, ‘This is what I make, don’t you want it?”

Hmmm, that reminds me of the famous quote of Henry Ford about his first assembly line automobile… “It comes in any color you’d like – as long as it’s black”

Imagine going to the market with that idea today… chance are, unless you had an extremely rare and highly desired product, you’d get laughed out of the market.

Let’s continue…

“The call of the Information Age is consumers asking, ‘This is what I need, won’t you make it?”

Quite a shift, huh?

So how does this apply to your product or service? Do you have to make a unique product or service for each and every customer?

No, I don’t think so. But, I do think that every product or service should start out like it is for an unique individual.

And that is the essence of this point, right?

Start with the consumer in mind. The old saying about starting a business is “to find a need and fill it.” and that is still good advice. Because, in order to find a need, you must think about a unique problem experienced by a real person.

Now, you’ve got the product or service… how does it make the consumer a “Hero”?

This is where advertising copywriters can really earn their pay.

It’s one thing to explain a product… to merely describe the features of a product.

It is another thing entirely to expand those features into benefits that a consumer can relate to.

But to really hit an advertising home run, you must find the unique benefits that create an emotional response in the consumer towards the product or service. As advertising copywriter’s we must break past “useful” – to “desirable” – to “can’t live without because…”

You see, in order for your product to make the consumer a Hero, they have to see what happens because of using your product. What is the effect of using, owning, having your product or service? Will they be a better mom and loved and adored by their children, their spouse.. even their own parents. What about the neighbors?

Maybe it’s an office product… will your consumer think: “because of this product, I will be the office hero.” It may not be that obvious, but that is the basic rational for most products or services… “How will this make me look to others?”

And controlling that response requires work… lots of work.

It requires knowing your consumer in ways your competition doesn’t.

When we as advertisers can honestly create a “gotta have it because…” mentality in the consumer’s mind with a product or service that delivers to an individual, then you’ve got a long standing hit that will be wanted by many consumers.

Because, let’s face it everyone wants to be a Hero in some area of their life.

Your thoughts?

It doesn’t matter if you provide a service or a product or even if you run a non-profit.

Everyone, needs money to operate…

Therefore, someone must pay the business for said product or service, or support the non-profit.

I know, nothing new there about business or marketing.

But here’s how I’d like you to frame the money transaction that I think can be useful to you. And by the way this applys in relationships where time or emotion is the dominant currency.

So here we go…

Every transaction is considered an expense until proven otherwise. In other words, the buyer takes a risk that will cost them money unless the product proves itself to be as advertised.

Let me explain a little further with an example.

I am a advertising copywriter. I write ads for clients with the goal of producing leads and/or sales that lead to cash in hand.

The thing is, when the client agrees to hire me as their copywriter, they still don’t KNOW that my work will make money for them. It doesn’t matter how much proof or how many samples I’ve shown them. To them, at that moment they sign the initial check, I am an expense.

Make sense?

And this works on any item I can think of… even peanut butter.

If I want to try a new peanut butter I saw advertised I am going to have to pay for it. So because I do not KNOW whether I will like the peanut butter or throw it away, I HAVE to categorize it in my mind as an expense until I can prove to myself it is worth buying.

Still with me?

If it is worth buying, it moves from expense to more of a trade… I’ll trade my dollars in exchange for the pleasure of tasting good peanut butter. In my mind, it is no longer an expense.

Do you see the difference? It seems minor but there is a HUGE difference in the mind of the consumer.

So what does this mean to you as an advertiser?

Let’s recap…

You, your product or your service is an expense until proven otherwise to the buyer. Once they know like and trust you, your product or service then you get shifted to another more favorable category in the consumer’s mind.

Sooooo…

One of the best ways to make the shift happen in the consumer’s mind is to always think from the consumer’s point of view when creating and marketing your stuff.

Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

Your thoughts, dear reader?

I get a magazine from Compass Bank called BusinessAsset. There are always good articles about small businesses and some nice tips. Overall, it’s a great little publication.

But, there is an article in there this month that got under my skin a little… maybe I’m over reacting, so I’ll let you be the judge.

First, the title:

Go From Hobby to (Lucrative!) Small Business in 10 Steps

Not a bad title, in fact it’s a very good title…

Then the “10 tips that all entrepreneurs, experienced or novice, can follow to make their small business dream reality”:

1. Develop a business plan
2. Consider incorporating your business or forming an LLC
3. Talk to an Accountant and an Attorney
4. Get necessary tax identification numbers, business licenses, and permits
5. Insure your business and investigate other requirements
6. Take advantage of small business bank accounts
7. Arrange your business accounting and arrange for loans
8. Maintain good business credit
9. Ready another workspace
10. Create a brand identity and market your business

STOP! HOLD THE PRESSES! FREEZE! DON’T MOVE!…

I don’t know about you, but to me this plan seems like discouragement waiting to happen. I mean licenses, attorneys, accountants, permits, loans, overhead, branding, etc…

That’s a lot of time and money spent to get started. And you don’t even know if you’ve got a viable business yet.

I know a guy who was opening a restaurant and he was so worried about having just the right business cards and stationary… for a restaurant! He spent nearly $1,000 for cards and stationary months before the restaurant was even opened.

What happened?

He got bought out by the partners. The restaurant is doing well by focusing on good food, good service and by marketing to their core customers on a consistent basis.

Shouldn’t the first priority of a restaurant be to make sure there are some hungry people around?

That’s where any business should start – with finding out whether or not there is a market for what you want to offer. And if there is not already a market, is there an obvious need that you can fill? And that goes beyond what a business plan can tell you.

Forget all the other stuff until you know this thing can make money…

Go pound on some doors and make a few sales calls to see if “they” really want what you have to offer. If you get an order or sale, then worry about the other stuff.

Michael Masterson in his Book Ready, Fire, Aim says this:

“Before your business makes its first sale, it is nothing more than set of unproven ideas that you are spending money on. Some of those ideas may be good and feasible. Others may be bad and/or impractical. You can’t know which are which until you test them by selling the product.”

He goes on to say:

“… with entrepreneurs who are still in the planning stages, I try to get them to streamline their start-up process by eliminating most of the other things they are inclined to do – such as leasing office space and buying furniture – and focusing on effecting that first, real sales transaction.“

Good advice, Michael.

I know I’ve personally watched my dad make this mistake time and time again. And therefore, I’ve made it myself in the past.

But now, I know I can take most business ideas and with $100 test it out to see if it has any market appeal. If so I move ahead. If not I adjust and try a new angle.

Not Just Talk But Real Life Experience

About 5 years ago I had just resigned from a struggling family business and needed work. I had less than $50 in my checking account, no job and a wife, two kids and a mortgage to support.

So how did I start my own business?

1. I sat down at my computer and created a flier for a painting service.
2. Then I took that flier and $19 down to Office Max and had them make me 1,000 fliers.
3. I got in my car and found old but nice neighborhoods that looked like they might need some painting and would have money to hire a painter.
4. I passed out the fliers in those neighborhoods
5. Once I got a call and set the appointment, I went back to Office Max and bought a generic carbon, two copy quote pad
6. Went on the appointment and closed the sale for $1,097, got 30% down.
7. Bought supplies. (Notice I bought tools and equipment after the first sale)
8. I then repeated the process for the next 3 years, earning approximately $45k per year working 20-30 hours per week.
9. I used my free time to teach myself a new, higher paying skill that I now use to make over six figures working the same 20-30 hours per week.

My point is, I didn’t do all that expense stuff until I had revenue. And when moving from hobby to small business especially in “tough economic times” I believe that’s a more sound basis for future success.

Now, If you feel like you just have to have business cards, fine get them free at www.vistaprint.com or somewhere similar online.

Also you can put up a website using WordPress for free. Or if you want your own website name, those will run you about $10 and hosting another $10 a month through someone like www.bluehost.com where this site is hosted.

There’s also www.hostgator.com which many of my friends use. What’s more, you can host as many sites as you want under one account. I think I have 20 or so websites on this one account right now. (Here’s a sample of one of them: www.PressExplosion.com)

SO, until you make a sale, nothing else really matters.

Truth is, you’d be surprised how little most of your future customers care about the details of your business. They just want the product or service you offer…

Actually they want the benefits of the product or service you offer – but that is a lesson for another day.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, if any, on starting a business.

Leave me a comment below…

Later,

McCool

So watch this and then we’ll talk about it…

First, I hope you laughed.

Second, as funny as this is it makes a great point… are you keeping in touch with what your best customers are going through? Are you changing with them?

Should you?

Of course the other side of the coin is that people pay big money for nostalgia… to escape back to a “better” time in their life.

So which do you think is a better marketing strategy…

Change with your best customers

Or

Help your customer remember what they want to remember

Or

Find new customers and deliver your personal brand to them

Something to think about. I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you leave a comment below…

These Guys Know Marketing

Just read an article about “better burgers”. It’s about all the new higher end burger chains that are popping up around the country.

The biggest success story being Five Guys Burger and Fries… one of my personal favorites that I’ve been eating at since in the military in D.C. back in the early 90′s.

But here’s what caught my eye in this article:

“After expanding regionally for a few years, [Five Guys] began a national expansion two years ago. In 2009, Sales jumped 50 percent to $453 million, making it the fastest-growing restaurant with sales over $200 million, according to Technomic.

Founder, Murrell, relishes the competition.

“If I were choose between opening in a town with 100 burger places and one with none, I’d go to the place with 100 burger places. People eat burgers in that town,” Murrell said. “I like being next to McDonald’s.”

Now see, that’s a guy who gets it when it comes to marketing.

He understands this about people…

People buy more of what they already have than what they don’t have. Seems crazy, right?

But look around at whatever you have the most of in your home and ask yourself how did I get 35 books on _________? That’s easy you bought them because you like them. Food works the same way… heck as far as I can tell everything works the same way.

What do you think? What do you buy more of that you already have more of? What about your customers?

Let me hear about it in the comments…

Being in marketing and advertising, I always flip through these things to see if anything catches my eye… or to see if I could offer my copywriting services to these businesses.

Anyway check out this picture I took of one ad:

They actually did several good things in this ad…

On the lower right, they play up their strengths…their free this and free that services.

They also have a couple personal pictures… even their dog is featured. Corny? Yes but personal works in advertising.(A post for another day perhaps?)

So not bad, right?

Take a closer look:

At least it's a discount…

Did you catch the typo… and the irony?

OK, to be fair and honest, I completely missed this typo.

But…

My wife did not… and here’s why.

We need some new brakes for the car. So this ad caught her attention because she’s worried about how much new brakes are going to cost.

So at this point the ad is working perfectly, right? Right.

But then she looks at the individual coupons looking for the brake job coupon… and it happens… a typo on the one coupon she’s looking for.

Instantly she goes from interested to “I’m not trusting my car to these guys… they can’t even spell!”

Un-Marketing! rears it’s ugly head once again.

Now maybe you don’t care if your mechanic can write. But I assure you many people do care about typos in ads. To them it says  a lot about the quality of work you’ll do.

[Side Note: Some people believe typos can improve response because it makes you look more human... less perfect. I've never seen the actual numbers or ads to say but I doubt it works across the board.]

Especially when you consider there were at least 3 other car care ads in that same flier on that same day.

Listen, I’m not perfect either. Just look around my site and I’m sure you can find at least one Un-Marketing example… If so let me know so I can fix it, please:)

The point is, we need to try and minimize these lazy mistakes in our marketing as much as possible.

Well, enough of that for today… I need to go proof read a few ads.

Tell me… Have you ever been lazy about your marketing and it cost you or your company sales?

If so let me hear about it below…

Later,

McCool

Well have no fear…

I’ve got you covered. I’m about to let you in on a little idea goldmine.

From now on, you’ll never need a fake sale again. You’ll have real, honest to goodness (if not a little weird) reason to spread your message.

Ready?

Here it is… www.brownielocks.com

On this treasure of a site, you’ll find weekly holidays and daily holidays you never knew existed… now you’ll just wonder… WHY?

You now have the keys to put even furniture stores and used car business to shame with “holiday” offers.

But please, use this power for good not evil.

Until next time,

Sean

The article was great. But what really jumped out at me was a headline buried deep in the article.

You see, when Wetzel finally sold the first ATM to a bank in New York, the bank then had to sell the idea to the masses.

Here’s the headline they used:

“On September 3, 1969, our branch will open its doors at 9:00 a.m. and we’ll never close again!”

Shortly after, consumers demanded 24 hour access to their money and banking was changed forever.

It reminds me of the National Cash Register Company back in the 1800′s… but that’s another story for another day.

The question / brain teaser of the day is this:

How could you apply this headline to your business?

Let me hear your ideas below…