Would you like to sell more of your products and services, grow your business and make more money without doing any extra work?  I'm about to tell you exactly how you can do this using a very powerful, but under-utilized marketing tool.  It's called a testimonial.

Of all the businesses in the world today, only a small handful use this strategy.  The secret behind the power of testimonials is simple - what others say about your products and services is more important to prospects and customers than what you say about your products and services.  When you toot your own horn, prospects and customers are less likely to believe you than when someone else gives you a recommendation.

General Mills has figured this out.  They are now putting testimonials on the back of their Cheerios boxes.  They've even included a photo of each person who gave a testimonial.  And while they should be congratulated for this bold move, there is one thing their testimonials lack which you can learn from and include in yours that will literally skyrocket your sales.

When you ask customers for testimonials, you don't just want them to tell how great your company or service or product is.  You want them to tell a little story about how your service or product changed their life.  You want them to tell what it did for them - the before and after.  

A testimonial that says nice things about your company is better than no testimonials at all, but when you have testimonials that show results from using your products or services it not only lends credibility to your company, it is proof to your market that your products and services work.  It is proof because you did not say your products or services work.  Instead, your customers have said it and are recommending you to others.

If you're not using testimonials in your marketing, you need to start.  You should include them in every piece of advertising you do.  Simply create a form to send to your past customers, and to give to your current customers.  You can include an example on the form of the kind of testimonial you're look for (results oriented).  Then, leave it up to the customer to put it in their own words.  It's also a good idea to give the customer some incentive to write the testimonial and send it to you.  You might offer them a special discount or a premium product, available for a limited time to entice them to get the testimonial to you right away.

Once you've gathered some testimonials, you should begin using them in everything your prospects and customers see - from your company newsletter to your sales letters and brochures, to your website and your product packaging.  You can even use them on the back side of your business card.

And, when you've got alot of testimonials you can have them all put into a promotional booklet which can be handed to prospects or mailed to them.  Imagine getting an offer in the mail where there were so many wonderful things people had to say about it that their testimonials had to be printed in a booklet because there were too many to print in the sales letter!

At Up & At 'Em, promotional booklets are our specialty.  We know how to create marketing that gets results, and when we pair that knowledge with our products, those products get results for you.  Contact us today through the Up & At 'Em website and let's get started on your project!

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

It's been all over the news - holiday sales are way down and retailers are scared.  They're scrambling to try to come up with a solution, and that solution for most of them is to lower their prices.

While this tactic may seem wise, it is not.  First, when everyone lowers their prices, who will stand out?  The one with the lowest prices.  And how low can you really afford to go?  Most of the time, there is someone willing to go lower, even if it creates a loss for them.  

Second, when you lower your prices it devalues your products and/or services.  There are people who are willing to pay a premium, even in tough economic times, to get what they perceive to be the best.  This goes for everything from blue jeans to birthday parties.  

Instead of lowering your prices, why not add more value to what you offer?  If you send products through the mail, you could add more value by offering faster service and free shipping.  You could also offer free, no hassle returns.  If yours is a large store where the customer comes to you to buy, why not offer them a more personal shopping experience, such as a sales clerk who helps them find just what they are looking for and actually waits on them?  Even in stores that in the past have been known for their great customer service, I have personally noticed alot of slacking off.  So, if you offer personal service it will be something of value and something that is remembered.

Another thing you can do is offer something to go along with your products that will add value to them.  This might be a gift with purchase, or it might be an in pack or on pack item.

Don't devalue your products and services by lowering your prices.  Instead, do the opposite.  Add value.  It will keep your customers coming back.

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

A store at my local mall had a great promotional idea.  They had fortune cookies custom made, and the fortune inside the cookie gave the recipient a discount on their products.  They failed to properly implement this promotion, however.  It seems nobody is flocking to their store to get the fortune cookie.

This could have been a really fun promotion, but once they had the cookies they simply placed a sign in front of their store which reads, "Get A Cookie.  Get Fortune.  Get a discount."  That was all.  There's no real incentive here.  It's boring.  Nobody cares.  So the people pass by without stopping in.

What to do?  First, the phrase "get a discount" is vague.  How much of a discount?  10%?  25%?  75%?  Is there a range of discounts possible?  Being more specific and telling how much of a discount is more enticing than simply promising a discount. Most people will think the discount is a small one and therefore not worth their time.  So, the pass by.  But, when you tell them how much they can save, it will do a better job of piquing their interest.

Next, since this store is on the mall, I would have two employees standing on either side of the entrance with a large bowl of fortune cookies in hand.  They would offer the fortune cookies to people who approach the entrance.  This would get the fortune cookies into people's hands, and it would attract more people.  Everyone wants what someone else has, and when people see other people receiving something, they will want one too.  And since it is the holiday season, why not dress the employees up as elves to attract further attention?  Elves handing out fortune cookies?  Why not?  It's something you don't see every day, which is what makes it an attention getter.

The real point here is this.  Whatever marketing you're doing, it needs to get to the people you're marketing to.  Your message needs to be read or heard.  And it needs to be interesting so it attracts attention.  Whether you're marketing through the use of a booklet, yellow pages ad, radio commercial or sales letter doesn't matter.  The criteria is the same.

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

Over this past weekend I visited my local Starbucks.  They had a new promotion going.  They offered me a free tall drink of my choice for filling out an online survey.

This promotion is a smart move on Starbuck's part for three reasons.  First, they're gathering information which will help them serve their customers better and attract new business.  This is vitally important for any company trying to survive in a down economy - especially when you're selling a commodity like coffee that is easy for people to replace with something less expensive or just not drink at all.  Water is vital, coffee is not.  And while Starbucks may argue that their product is not a commodity because of the experience they create with it, that arguement doesn't seem to be persuading their customers.  The survey will help Starbucks to better hone the experience for customers, thus making a stop at their coffee bars more compelling.

Second, by offering a free drink there is incentive for the customer to complete the survey.  Most people probably would not bother completing an online survey without a compelling reason to do so. 

Third, when the customer returns for the free drink, there is a good probability that they will buy something else while they are there.  They might buy ground coffee, or a pastry to go with the free coffee.  Perhaps they've brought more people with them who will buy drinks.  Or maybe they'll purchase an item from the shelf to give as a holiday gift.  So, in return for the free drink, Starbucks gets valuable information about what their customers want, and they will probably increase their sales as well.

Now the only question is how can you apply this to your business?  Perhaps you'll give a free booklet with a survey inside, and when people send in the survey they get a coupon worth a percentage off your products.  There are as many ways to implement this idea as there are businesses to implement it!

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

You've got a great product and now you want to sell it.  But without marketing it will never happen.  marketing is what happens in between the finishing or acquiring of a great product, or putting a service together, and getting the customer's money.

There are many ways you can market your products and services, and you should use as many as you can afford or as are appropriate for what you have to offer.  These include advertisements in magazines and newspapers, on the radio, television, etc.  But, one thing is for certain.  You can't market without the appropriate tools.

Your marketing tools are what you use beyond your advertising to reach out to your prospects and turn them into customers.  They are what make the sale.  They are an extension of you or your company, and are often something physical that the customer comes into contact with before deciding to buy.  Some of the best marketing tools you have available to you include:

• Brochures
• Booklets
• Coupons
  
• Door Hangers
• Flyers
• Inserts
• Newsletters
• Sales Letters
• Special Offers

Each of these pieces of literature is a marketing tool and should convince your customers to buy from you.  If they don't, the money spent on them is wasted.

The same can be said for premiums and free gifts or bonuses.  While they are not literature, they are used for the same reason - to compell the prospect to act now.

No matter what kind of business you own, or what kind of product or service you sell, without marketing you're dead.  And without the right tools for the job, marketing can't happen.

Up & At 'Em Publications offers the marketing tools to help you get the results you desire. Contact us through our website to start reaching your customers today! 

Up & At 'Em

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

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• How To Blow The Roof Off Your Sales Without Spending Another Dime On Advertising Or Doing Any Extra Work
• Lower Your Prices And Watch Your Perceived Value Plummet
• The Two Main Criteria For Marketing Your Products, Your Services And Your Business
• Three Reasons Starbuck's New Promotions Is A Winner
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