The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes [67]
Or here’s one that’s even stronger: “How would you like to capture three times more clients and lock them in so securely that no one could take them away from you?” That would’ve pulled them more leads than they could’ve handled. Instead, they blew a million on what they called “image ads.” I was brought in to help their salespeople penetrate more clients because they were wasting $1 million on ads that didn’t say anything or drive a single lead. I tactfully tried to discuss the ads with the ad director of the company, hoping to drive thousands of leads to the struggling sales force. When I asked the ad director if he got much response from those ads, he told me they weren’t designed for response. So I asked him what was his philosophy behind running the ads, and he said the campaign was designed to build awareness. But when I wanted to know if it was working, he wasn’t sure.
This kind of waste makes me crazy. Well-designed ads can pull leads like crazy. They just have to be compelling. Advertising is a way to add power to every thing else you’re doing. I often refer to ads as “long-range bombing” because they soften the market before you send in the troops.
That said, some companies are using advertising just to maintain, protect, and further their brand. A Coke or Pepsi commercial, for example, might not be designed specifically for direct response. There the company is propagating its brand and must pay attention to the first rule of great advertising: be distinctive. Obviously the above example is for those interested in driving leads from their ads.
Rule 3. After Your Headline Hooks Them, Your Body Copy Has to Keep Them Reading
First, the body copy must focus on your prospect, not on you. The biggest mistake most advertisers make is focusing on themselves. I’m working with a company that does a lot of advertising. Every ad its people send me to tune up is focused on them instead of the prospect. Every single time. And every single time, I point that out and show them how to focus on the prospect. And every time, the executive I’m working with says: “Wow, you’re right. That’s stronger.” Then, a month later when it’s time for a new ad, here it comes again, focused on them instead of the prospect.
Next, each sentence should unfold the “story” you want to tell and make the prospect want to read on. Like the headline, the body copy should be benefit-oriented. Don’t tell me what it is. Tell me why it is valuable.
Rule 4. Include a Call to Action
A reason to act now is always great: “Call us now for a free report (only 100 left).” “The first 100 who respond receive a $XXX bonus.” Another discovery from our print-ad test that amazed me is that a coupon in the bottom right-hand corner of the ad actually increased response. It might be a little box that says, “Yes, send me more information,” and then a few lines where prospects fill in their contact information. To my utter amazement, executives would tear the page out of the magazine and hand it to an assistant, saying, “Fill this out and send it in.” So coupons increased response in print ads. My theory is that a coupon provides a noncommittal way of responding. To actually make a phone call means you will have to engage with a salesperson—something you might not want to do at the time. But filling in a coupon is noncommittal and always increases response over