If you want to be a big business, you have to think like a big business. You have to act like a big business.

If you can’t visualize yourself being the best in the industry and not just a good as you can be, you will never find yourself as the industry leader.

If you are willing to help your customer with problems that you can’t make a profit from, they will recognize you for the expert you are. Don’t be afraid to help your customer find the right solution to their problem… even if you can’t provide it.

Yesterday, I talked to the concerned wife of a new business owner. Her husband recently started his own insurance practice- a great idea as he has almost fifteen years in the industry. So what was the problem?

He developed the first marketing flyer for his practice and printed 3000 copies- without showing the ad to ANYONE before printing it. The result was a confusing ad that could be so misinterpreted that his target customers may not feel he could service their particular needs. He also had some custom pens made- great idea- but had absolutely no contact information on the pens. When she asked her husband about it, he said “They can always look me up on the web.”

Well, the flyer has finally been trashed and the pens are going to be re-done, but what a waste!

When we design marketing materials, campaign development or just have pens made, we should always ask others how they respond to it. We don’t always have to agree, but remember that sales isn’t about what we think, it’s about what our customers think.

For a great post on other questions a salesperson needs to ask see Corey’s post on “Always ask why.”

If you treat every client that you have as though you want them to be a reference, word of mouth marketing will be accelerated and you will have the type of relationship with your client that will provide a greater customer experience and greater profit margins.

I hate when I talk to a sales person who doesn’t know how to ask for the business.

We have all heard someone say, “I don’t want to be sold.”

I would say what people mean is, “I don’t want to be pushed in to buying something I don’t want or need. I want someone to help me understand what I need and guide me to make the right purchase.”

I want a sales person to not be afraid to ask me to buy their product… if it is the right fit. I don’t want to have to help the sales person along through the sales process.

Where would you prefer to buy from? 

From CompUSA:

If you are not satisfied with a product you purchased from us and you return the product with the original receipt or invoice within 21 days from the original purchase or invoice date, you may exchange the product or receive a refund, except as explained below. Computers, monitors, printers, projectors, camcorders, cameras, and GPS/Navigation systems may be returned within 14 days from the original purchase or invoice date and may be subject to a 15% restocking fee if opened (unless defective). Opened software, games, and videos may only be exchanged for the same title. Opened service parts, motherboards, and processors may not be returned for refund, but may be exchanged, if defective. Labor, installation services, and shipping charges are non-refundable. All items must be in new condition, with the original box, packaging, manuals, accessories, and UPC code. Refunds will be made in the form of original payment. Purchases made by cash or check over $250 will be refunded by check from our corporate office within 10 business days. PERSONAL DATA: please remove personal data (e.g. computer/cell phone data, media, tapes) from returned/exchanged items. CompUSA is not responsible for any damages related to any loss, mishandling, or disclosure of personal data left on returned/exchanged item. Policy varies in HI & PR. See store for more details.

From Nordstrom:

Even if you’re making an exchange or a return, we make it easy. A pre-paid RETURN LABEL is included with every order. Only the minimum return postage fee will be deducted from your return. And exchanges are totally free - by mail, by phone or in the store.

Billboard advertisers conduct case studies to prove their form of advertising works. Here is a case study from one advertiser.

Reagan Advertising wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of outdoor advertising, so we conducted a survey in our Austin, Texas market. Over 300 people were called in a preliminary survey, and we found that less than 1% could identify the 30th president of the United States. Thirty percent correctly answered the test question by identifying Rick Perry as the current Lt. Governor of Texas.

Subsequently, we posted 48 30 sheet posters (reaching the equivalent of 100% of the Austin Market population every day) for 60 days. We then surveyed again and found that the awareness of Calvin Coolidge being the 30th president had increased 2300%, while the awareness of the Lt. Governor of Texas didn’t change at all.null

Not only were the results of the study impressive, but we were amazed by how many people went to the Web site listed on the board’s artwork. There were 36,596 unique user sessions and over 5,400 people visited the registration page. Of those 5,400, nearly 2,500 people registered to win a free t-shirt and billboard.

Wow… they went from 1% awareness to 23% awareness.

That is impressive until you understand what it took to get there.

I can’t find actual pricing on 60 days for 48 30 sheet posters, but I just did the math based on $500 per board. That is $24,000 for 36,596 unique hits… I get 18,000 unique hits on Master The Business in 60 days (thanks Mom for visiting) and my cost for hosting the site for that period of time is only $20.

But you can’t use that “unique hit” number because of the way unique hits are registered. If I hit the site twice from my home computer, my public IP might change and so I would hit it twice. Plus, you have to take into consideration that the office hits the site as well.

I would be okay using those that actually hit the registration page… that means they did more than just look at the front page and move on.

So, $24,000 for 5,400 visitors on the registration page. That is $4.44 per lead… and that doesn’t include the design and printing of the board. That seems a little pricey to me… especially for a non-qualified lead.

What’s more is that over the 60 days, they claim that 700,000 people per day saw the billboards. That means that 42,000,000 sets of eyeballs saw the posters but only 5,400 did something with the information they saw or a return of .01%… not so good.

I know that I have seen tests like this and the only reason I ever went to the site was because I was so annoyed at seeing billboards with no description of what they were so I finally looked at the site. Once I got there, I was annoyed that it was a test site and was not relevant to me.

I wonder what the numbers show in terms of revenue for an actual company. Is it worth it then?

“Everyday living is too fast, too busy, too complicated. More than at any time in history, its important to have good information on just about every aspect of life. And, there is more information available than ever before. Too much in fact. There is simply no time for people to gather and absorb the information they need.”

     Britton Hadden. One of the founders of Time Magazine. 1929.

Sometimes I think we devalue people who have made poor life mistakes, but take a moment to read about three inmates who made a real difference. They helped save a life.

Leo asks, “Is it better to increase your profit 1% or increase your sales 1%?”

If your product is elastic, you might be able to do both… I don’t know that it is as simple as that. I wonder if you have to make a choice…

What do you think?