If you’re not answering these
3 questions in your advertising, then
you’re losing hundreds, if not thousands,
of dollars EVERY day in your business.

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just click on the "PLAY" (4) button above

From: Brett McFall

THE MCFALL REPORT

The World's Best Advertising Secrets - MADE SIMPLE

Hello my friend,

Important news for you. In fact, get your pen out and be on the ready to write down the 3 key marketing secrets I’m about to reveal to you.

But before I do, I need to get something off my chest.

2 new business shows. One’s called “MY BUSINESS.” And the other is “BREAD.” (And if you live outside Australia, then you may not know what I’m talking about. No matter. The same mistakes are being made on your TV no doubt too).

No disrespect intended. Good on these guys for creating shows ABOUT business. What is terrible however is their content about ... you guessed it ... MARKETING.

Now, if you make marketing mistakes in your business. Who cares? At least you’re out there trying stuff. But when a national TV show is encouraging you to keep making those mistakes, then that’s when I’ve got an issue.

In both shows, the marketing “experts” talk endlessly about bloody BRANDING. Now, if BRANDING for small business isn’t the biggest load of crap going round, I don’t know what is.

Branding is for BIG business. And it’s damned costly.

The TV shows however are primarily about small business, and presumably are watched by small business owners. Yet they’re advice is for BIG business.

They’ve got tossers on there talking about how important your LOGO is. Your IMAGE. And how critical BRANDING is to the success of your small business.

No. No. And ... NO.

Wake up! Marketing for small business is all about bringing in dollars. Because without the bucks, there ain’t no business. Your “brand” isn’t going to pay the bills. Neither is your “image.” And chances are, people aren’t lining up to buy your logo.

And even if your logo IS your product – that is, you have your own brand of clothing etc – you’re not going to sell an ounce of it if there’s no one in your store or visiting your webpage.

You can impress people all you want with your brand, image and logo AFTER they purchase. But please, if your ads aren’t working now, don’t think that it’s because no-one’s seen it yet. Or because your ad hasn’t appeared enough times. Or because your brand is still waiting to be accepted by the market. Or any other rubbish.

That’s the thinking which keeps advertising agencies in business. Not you.

Do you want the truth about
why you aren’t getting good
response from your ads?

It’s because you’re not offering anything of real value to your target market. The people seeing your ads aren’t getting the true message of what’s really on offer (unless of course you don’t really add value at all, and so you deserve to go out of business).

Business owners come to me often and say...

“I’m not getting any response from my advertising.”

Then they show me their ad ... and THERE IS NOTHING TO RESPOND TO!!

Not a thing. Just a creative piece of dribble that should have been entered in the local public school’s art fest.

You’re not in a colouring in competition. You’re in business to make money.

And how you do that is by tuning into what your market really wants. NOT what YOU want to run as an ad. Not what your sister thinks “looks cool.” And it’s not about your passion for being creative (there are night classes for that). In fact, it’s not about you at all.

It’s all about THEM. Your customer. About advertising what your market is crying out for.

It means an OFFER. Something which after your prospects read it, makes them feel plain stupid if they don’t take advantage of it.

And I’m not even talking about SELLING anything if you don’t want to.

You could run a lead generating ad just to build your database. You know that’s where the wealth really lies in your business, don’t you? In the DATABASE. That’s where your security and your future is really at. You know that, right?

Well you wouldn’t if you watched the turkeys on these 2 new small business TV shows.

Why is a database so important? Very simply, because these are “your” people. They like what you do and sell. They speak your language. And so when the local sales rep approaches you for an ad in their publication, you can tell them to keep on walking.

Why?

Because you know that your best investment lies in talking ONLY to those folk interested in what you’ve got. NOT paying through the nose to reach the tens of thousands of others who will never be your customer. Ever.

So... how well do you
know your customer?

Do you know for sure that they buy BECAUSE of your logo? Do you know for sure that they love your image? And the pretty colours you use on your webpage or magazine ad? Is that why they really buy from you? Is your business what they lie awake at night thinking about?

Look, there’s a wealth magazine here in Australia, which won’t let certain ads be placed in their publication. Namely MY ads. Not that the ads are offensive. It’s because they don’t fit the right image. They don’t make the magazine “look good.”

Hold on ... who’s paying for the ad? The sales rep? The editor? Get real. YOU’RE paying for it. And yet they want to tell you how to design it.

They tried to tell me how to design my ads and I told them where to go. They told my clients the same thing. Some stopped advertising immediately. Some stayed. And now they’ve ALL moved on other mediums. If they didn’t, they’d be paying for ad which loses them money.

But here’s the funny part...

Guess who’s statistics they use – and I mean the statistics about the amount of money made from past advertiser’s ads – when they need to sell their future advertising space to potential clients?

My clients’ ads!!

The very ones they kicked out!

Why? Because my client’s ads worked!

But they were “ugly.” They didn’t fit the mould of the magazine’s pretentious image.

Fair enough. But then why use them as examples of the money which can be made from advertising in the magazine? Why not brag about the beautiful “imagey” ads?

ONE REASON: because they wouldn’t be able to sell much space at all if they did.

Doesn’t that tell you something?

Don’t fall for the trap. Don’t believe the crap. Believe your own results first. Use direct response advertising. And test, test, test.

Now...

To help you out in that regard, I want to reveal to you 3 questions that your advertising should be answering if you want to stand any chance of making money. (And by the way, there are 7questions in total, but only those people who have been to my Ad Camp know what they are.)

These are the questions your prospect is asking when they see your ad. It’s your choice whether you decide to answer them. But rest assured, they’re being asked.

QUESTION #1:
“Why are you doing this?”

That’s right, in Prospect Land, “Cynicism” is King.

It’s a killer question. And it’s one of the first questions your prospects ask about your marketing.

So why ARE you doing it? Actually answer the question? If you know your prospect is asking it, then go ahead and answer it for them.

Tell them you’re making this offer ...

R   ...because you want to get rid of old stock

R   ...because you want your customers feedback

R   ...because you want to offer better value than anyone else

R   ...because you want your prospects to call you first, instead of your competition

R   ...because your husband said he’d leave if you didn’t get this business off the ground.

Whatever. Just come out and say it. For instance, what’s to stop you from even writing a subheadline in your marketing which says...

Why We Are Making Such An Irresistible Offer:

Then just tell them! You’re in a good mood today ... you’re in a BAD mood today ... you’re trying to become Australia’s youngest millionaire ... your marketing coach said you weren’t offering enough value ... you’re sick of ads that don’t work etc, etc.

The answer might be obvious to you (that is, you want to make money otherwise you’ll go out of business). But if you’re making a powerful offer, your customer wants to know what’s in it for you. “Why are giving me a special price? Is it faulty? Low quality? A bribe? Protected by fine print? What is it?”

Here’s the second key question your prospect is asking about your advertising:

QUESTION #2:
“Why should I believe you?”

Oooh, that’s a hardy, isn’t it? That cuts right to the core. They should believe you because you’re a respected business person, right?

B.S.

How many supposed “respectable” business people have we seen disgraced on TV and hauled off to gaol (or “jail” if you’re American). Too many, right?

Respect is EARNED, not given. And you can only earn it if your prospect becomes your customer, and you treat them right over time. Not immediately. But over TIME. That is WHEN they’ll believe you. Once you’ve proven yourself. Not before.

So face up to it pal – why should I believe what you say in your ad? Huh?

Well, if you had a “no weasel out” guarantee, that would be a start.

If you had testimonials from past customers telling of their experience with you (and including their FULL name by the way!), yeah, that’d be a step in the right direction.

If you had some experience or qualifications that meant something to me, the prospect, that too would be good.

Ultimately, however, sometimes the most simple things are the most powerful. Just your TONE in your advertisement. Are you talking honestly in your copy? Or are you talking formally and attempting to sound smart?

Do you sound like everyone else? Or do you sound like YOU?

This can be VERY important. Be real ... because very few people are.

And the 3^rd question your prospect is asking is this:

QUESTION #3:
“Why should I take action now?”

Another beauty! Very simply, if your prospect doesn’t take action as soon as they read your ad, there is very little chance of them doing so.

Life is just way too busy for most people to think that they’ll come back to read your ad later.

Plain doesn’t happen. So if your advertising asks your prospect to do something now ... and it may be to order now, fax now, phone now, visit your website (or something else), then you’ve got to tell them WHY.

Yeah, that’s right ... tell them WHY they should get up off their lazy bums ... put down the remote control ... ignore their whinging kid ... resist grabbing a coke from the fridge – AND ACT ON WHAT YOU’VE ASKED THEM TO.

And what might that reason be?

Well, Sherlock, it might be that your offer is:

R   Only available for a limited time

R   Only available to a limited number of people

R   Only available while stocks last

R   Only available until you decide to pull it

R   Only for those people who know what they want and are prepared to take action now to get it

R   Only available with a special gift if they mention your ad...

...whatever. The decision is yours about the WHY.

But again, it might be as simple as being honest and telling folks that you’re busy in store ... and that you don’t want to be answering the phone all day ... so the first 5 people to call will get your special offer ... because after that you’re taking the phone off the hook.

Get it?

But the point is, if you don’t bother to state why your prospects MUST act now, response GOES DOWN. Believe me, I’ve learnt the hard way. With my own money.

Take heed of the questions my friend.

Answer them in your copy (the “words” of your ad, remember?). Because chances are, your competitors aren’t.

QUESTION #1: “Why are you doing this?”

QUESTION #2: “Why should I believe you?”

QUESTION #3: “Why should I take action now?”

Enjoy and profit.

Warmly,

Brett McFall

P.S. It's really not related to this topic, but you already know that you need a P.S. when you're writing a letter (it's one of the first places your prospect looks!). And my colleagues get disappointed when I don't use them. So you know ... here it is.

©2004 Brett McFall

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