The secret to getting an immediate response

It never fails to astound me that when I’m looking through a magazine or newspaper and reading the ads, that not only do they all look alike and are boring, but almost none of them ask for a response.


By Aaron Wilson, Associate Partner 
Central Insurance Brokers, Perth WA (West Australia)




Go grab a magazine right now and look through the display ads.  You’ll see ads saying things like: “Open an account”; “Apply now”; “Get started”.  But there is no direct-response mechanism.


Most of the ads are just institutional ones that just tout the company and end with the telephone number, the website address, or the name of the company.  They are not direct-response ads that encourage the reader to contact the company to get something the reader wants and by which the company can create a lead or customer.



The ads merely talk about how great the company is. The ad designer then hopes that the ad copy and images are so great that people hop on the phone, or whatever, and contact the company.


If your prospect sets your ad or sales letter aside to “deal with it later”, you have probably lost them as a customer.  What I suggest is that you should do everything you can think of to induce and create an immediate response from them.


First, make sure that you offer a free report, a free sample, a free service or whatever with each ad you create.


Then along with that, include deadlines of some sort to make the reader think twice about not acting NOW.


  Here are some examples:

1. Penalty pricing.  Let them know that the prices will go up on a certain date.
2. Have your offer expire by a certain date.
3. Have a “Mystery Bonus” if they respond within the next 24 hours.
4. Let them know there is a limited supply and that you may run out.  Even if you do not have a limited supply, you can create an illusion that there is.  You can say, “We will return your check uncashed if we run out of the item.”  This suggests that there is a limited supply without you even saying there is.

You notice that the smart Insurance companies apply such lures in their Domestic sales compaigns offering special discounts on Car and Home Insurance.

As a Professional Insurance Brokers such methods are not the tools of our trade, our main focus is Commercial and Business Insurance clients but we realise the need for "response" and gaining stance with our clients and we offer gifts and treats which makes the dreaded Insurance topic have a zing.

I’m sure you get the idea.  The first thing I’d like you to do is to get out your ads and promotions. Review them with the thought of what you can add that will motivate the prospect to immediately respond.  

International Data Roaming costs are sending you broke!

Image via WikipediaWe continue to hear stories of travellers with smartphones (particularly iPhone users) incurring huge data-roaming bills, particularly Telstra customers.

One (big) reason for this is the charging mechanism used by Telstra (Optus also has its problems). Telstra charges 1.5 cents per kilobyte, PLUS a 50c per-data-session flagfall. A data session is a connection from your handset.

There can be (and often are) many simultaneous data sessions running on an iPhone, for instance the default e-mail setting is to check e-mails every minute - that means that even if you don't send or receive e-mails but don't change the settings you will incur a charge of more than 50c each minute.

Image via CrunchBase 

If you leave your phone on whilst roaming for a 16-hour day, that is more than $720 per day, just for (no) e-mail! It makes a mockery of the per-kilobyte charge, as the effective rate jumps up to perhaps as high as 2.5 or more cents per KB when the flagfall is included


 
People are constantly confused by the topic..  is it a call cost or a data pack cost?
 
You can actually use one for the other and vice versa - but be warned doing so will either save you a bucket of money or bury you in debt.  They accumulate cost diferently .. see this forum article about the data rate for either and how it is effected by which application you use (ie., talking or surfing the web)
 

Good News

  For the Aussie Business Exec's travelling to Bangkok
The "Asoke PA" service has set up a bargain deal on Thai Sim cards with Phone and Data Packs!
 
They can hook you up to include unlimited Internet use for about 15% of the rate you would pay in Australia.   The idea is to switch sim cards on arrival and use the local service.  

 

Apart from the massive savings on net use you will also save huge costs on phone calls

 

Make sure you have made sure you phone is unlocked so you can switch sim cards.

 

Asoke PA service is a new concept to provide "Personal Assistants" for busy travellers or those on short term stay. The PA's fastrack everything for you  to ensure a seamless experiencfe; Orientate, Translate and Negotiate.

 
see more at Asoke PA.
 
  

Small Business get with smart Marketing

 You can’t be serious ….

 click image to expand

do I have to be in all this social media to have a successful future

business?
 

We don’t know….we just want to make business fully aware of where the modern consumer is heading.  Here are tales of retail businesses - small, medium large and public.

All realised they need to use new techmarketing to reach new customers, to keep established customers, to react to changing buying behaviour and to broaden their reach from local, to national and even global.

Case Study one- Fix Espresso using http://www.deal-2day.com.au/   offered a $2.50 coffee special on the specials website sold 150  extra coffee vouchers in one day!   Followers of deal2day get daily specials emailed to them across a wide band of retail and service offerings.  Fix proprietor, Jonathan Myerson comments “why hope for a customer to pass your door when you can attract them from around the neighbourhood with a great offer?    “Once they come in on our special, I know they will enjoy the experience and be back again.”

Case study two

Kuzzunman Leather a family owned Australian business which sells leather goods and clothing related to the motor cycle sector and also for the work wear sector. The business has enjoyed tremendous growth in the past two years by developing online sales activity across Australia and has gone from 0% of sales  online to 30% in just a few years!

The business is located on the outer edges of Perth which restricts its door sales but the owners are selling online Australia wide. They have changed the business from a local business to a national business with the use of new technology marketing!

Image via WikipediaCase Study three - PutersFrom a humble beginning with a single East Sydney store, they developed a virtual department store on the web.  Every conceivable home wares product from glassware, to cutlery, linen, jewellery, house fashions, electrical goods etc is available online and many of the world’s best brands are featured. 

Prices are below those of conventional department stores and the site is highly visual and easy to buy from. A massively successful site.
 

Case Study four - Myer Ltd -  http://www.myfind.com/

Myer knows it needs to have an online offering, but doesn’t want to cannibalise its conventional department store sales by having its website discount the same goods.  The solution?

Myer has launched myfind.com….which is a specials related site carrying selected department store lines. But you will not find ANY MYER LOGO anywhere on the myfind site!
In a way, it is a similar strategy to the Qantas -Jetstar double prong approach

Case study five
Central Insurance Brokers www.centralins.com.au/

A medium size suburban Insurance Broker in South Perth West Australian. They engaged enthusiasm to embrace social media networks, they provided "gifts" through social networks to the Community, by gifts we mean free access to intellectual property.  Their transparency characterises their culture of trust and builds essential rapport for new and existing clients.

Central Insurance Brokers of South Perth WA were quick to embrace the social media market using the span of mediums such as google Maps, google docs, buzz me, Linked in, twitter, blogs. Consequently their popularity is search engines achieves highest ranking.  Try searching Insurance Broker Perth, South Perth or WA or West Australia you will find them fast. But that's not all, when you get there you'll see they identified customer values

a bold phone number - just call, but for those that need more they display a list of transarent options: Product knowledge, Direct contact details, Photos and more

The wisdom of their marketing think tank is extensive.

• They were fast and passionate about connecting with the customer in the virtual world but it does not end there.
• They offer free virtual gifts - Community service Information
• They offer free real gifts - documentation to clients is supported with value added intel
• They invest substantially in wellness values
• Clients receive token gifts during regular dealings
• Staff are hosted to team building bootcamps local and overseas 
• They focusing, like most on customer service values, but more they constantly re assess with intent to deliver value.
• Their service is models are based on customer feedback not organisational regime

The company was founded in 1978 and it continues with their founding Director Phillip Smith and strong leadership from the Board of Directors Simon Wardman and Noel Carter.  

Wait, there’s more!  An exceptional group of Associate partners - Team Managers or Account Executives (another aspect of their success is equity participation). 

 

It is inarguable they are the leading suburban based General Insurance Broker in Perth West Australia. Try them at www.centralins.com.au/

LinkedIn is now megga stream for business links

With more than 90 million registered users...  LinkedIn is the number one social media platform for  white-collared professionals today. Are you using it effectively?

LinkedIn is like an online resume, but scratch a bit deeper and it’s a platform for demonstrating your expertise and connecting with an online network. It’s nothing short of a source of raw possibilities.y

Whether you are a business owner or an employee, LinkedIn needs to be a part of your digital real estate and your online social presence.

What should you have on your profile?

There are numerous opportunities to highlight expertise and focus on interests within LinkedIn. The LinkedIn profile has a standard framework around which information can be added. There is an extensive field for a summary of your career profile, and a more limited field to provide details of your current position, past positions, education, recommendations, connections, and websites.

You’re in full control of what is displayed on the profile.

Improve your SEO with LinkedIn

“ LinkedIn needs to be a part of your digital real estate and your online social presence. ”

Spend as much time as you need to developing your LinkedIn profile, and remember that because it’s online, it needs to be SEO-savvy. In fact, you can use LinkedIn to help your search engine optimisation (SEO), since when your name is searched on Google, your LinkedIn profile will appear high in the search results.

You might even want to engage an SEO copywriter and get them to work their magic and create an engaging business profile specifically for LinkedIn that outlines your achievements and successes

Receive weekly updates on your network

The single business email that I receive and most importantly I take the time to read every week is the LinkedIn Network Updates email. If you’re not receiving this email, you need to change your LinkedIn email settings. (Select Settings / Receiving Messages, and at the Network Updates line, choose Weekly Digest Email).

This email summarises the major activities of your network over the past week: profile updates, new connections, new posts, new LinkedIn groups they’ve joined, new photos, new recommendations, polls, and applications (like Reading List by Amazon and TripIt).

Likewise using the ‘Share an update’ feature enables you to stay in front of your network on a weekly basis.

Photo left 

Phillip Smith.
founder and Chairman of Central Insurance Brokers, Perth WA (est 1980)  and
Founder of Aussie Exec Tours Bangkok 

"I've tripled my business network within 9 months with Linked in", without doubt the modern new age business tool. 

In today's dynamic market there is no 9 to 5 for the serious business guru. We have the tools to network and benchmark 24/7.   "Linked in" lets me see core BUSINESS characteristics about people.  The network provides an array of options to email, blog, share news, share invitations to events and merges brilliantly with tripit.  Did I mention it merges with Twitter and lets you show your website/s and Blog.  

Anyone who is serious about presenting in business should be in "linked in", further they should have a link to their profile page in their email signature.    Clients can see your connections which act as great reference to the support of you inn your business world.. 

90% of Business is people business right!
At the end of the day we spend so much time and money to shape the image of our Business website or business shop front to impress, yet 90% of business is about people so why present yourself, that you are in business and linked in.  

EASY TO USE
There learning modules are very easy (videos).  I've posted a webpage of some tips .. here

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