The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes [89]
The next ad ran and got an even worse response rate—just four responses. This was abysmal. And then the next ad ran and got only two responses. Each time, I intensified my follow-up with more and more stories of how other companies got amazing response rates. Maybe I should point out in my defense that he ran an ad that featured three different authors of his training programs, and each one had progressively less hair. The dull black-and-white ad looked more like a hair replacement ad than an ad for professional training programs. I told him his ad wasn’t working and he needed one that would stand out. I presented all the information you learned in the previous chapter about how to create an ad that will stop people in their tracks and suggested, “If you really want to get attention, you need to buy a full-page spread and put an insert in the middle of it. This way the magazine will open to your ad (because the insert is a card stock material). On the insert you can put an order form for folks to order.”
He listened and took a four-color, full-page spread and insert, following my advice on content and design, in the annual trade show issue. This was much more expensive than his other three ads, so this was sink or swim for me. I had built enormous credibility by not backing off in the face of failure, and the client was following my advice one last time. With that single $18,000 insert ad and spread, he sold $650,000 worth of programs. I was vindicated and the company became a regular advertiser, never to doubt me again.
This story illustrates many points. If I just said to you, “Make sure you stay in your prospect’s face even more if things aren’t going right,” that sounds good, but telling this story dramatically makes the point. I sell training programs that teach the importance of better follow-up, so this story certainly shows the importance of that. What are you selling and what story illustrates the need for your product or ser vice?
Rule 5. Your Presentation Should Be Curiosity Driven
Unfold the information in a way that keeps your prospects curious. Give them a fact first and follow it with an explanation. Also, continually presell the rest of the presentation throughout the presentation. Keep alluding to information yet to come. Keep them anticipating the information you are about to tell them. For example, while presenting the information about the increase in lawyers, you could say, “And this means you have some serious competition, but the news gets worse when I show you the next point.” There is a righteous presell that really makes the person want to see the next slide.
Rule 6. Think of Each Headline as Valuable Real Estate
Every header should work as hard as possible. It should intrigue the prospects and sell the panels. Don’t waste them by being repetitious or not thinking them through. A good rule is to summarize the most important point on the panel. I’ve seen a lot of people build a presentation that will use the same headline (say, “Facts about the market”) on several panels in a row. That might be fine for the first panel that starts off with facts about the market, but then on the next panel (which talks about growth rate of the industry or trend), put “Staggering growth rate” or “Slowing growth rate hurting us all.” Don’t be lazy. Work to make every headline work hard for you.
Rule 7. Be Confident but Not Obnoxious
Develop a rapport with your audience even if it’s just one person facing you. If you have a large audience, one way to do this is to stretch with them. Ask them all to stand up, put their hands over their heads, and stretch to their right. Since you are facing them, stretch to your left. That way you are stretching in the same direction as they are. This simple act creates a subconscious