WomenCorp Radio

Reader Question...

I don't know where to spend my advertising dollars. Is it better to spend it on newspaper or magazine publications that might stay around longer?

Roxannes' Answer...

The answer is, it depends. What are you selling and how often are you willing to advertise it?

If it’s a product or service that’s easy to order by phone or stop by, then sure, go ahead and advertise in the newspaper. But be sure to give incentives within your ad for people to actually take action. That could be a limited time coupon or discount just for “call now!”

If it's a magazine, is it one that gets circulated a lot and if so what can you offer that will cause a person to tear out your ad and take action? Is it a lot more expensive or a little more expensive? How many people will see it?

The reason it matters is that effective advertising is FREQUENT advertising. Can you afford it?

Industry studies have show that it takes people 5-7 times of seeing your message to begin to even recognize the name. It’s the rare bird who buys on first glance. More often, people have to get the idea in their head, mull it around, hear it again and again before they will take action. Therefore, if you commit to advertising anywhere it is not going to work unless you set up a program of doing it frequently and at least 5-7 times.

It doesn't have to be all in the same place either. Set up a campaign where you can be seen multiple times within a short period of time. For example...you can set up a scheduled campaign to insert an ad in the regional magazine, submit press releases to the largest newspaper, submit a story or press release to other publications like "widget today" if that's your market and send a note to your prospects with a copy of something that got published. Plan it, then coordinate the timing to release all this within a few weeks time and take action.

If you're really ready to rock, also see if you can get set up as a speaker or event coordinator for an organization where your prospects will see you. You can then suggest to the local radio station that they interview you for a few minutes to promote the event. Send email audio postcard to everyone you know including your prospects who are on the membership list to promote it further!

Reader Question...

I can’t figure out where I lose my prospects, but though I manage to get in front of them, they’re still not buying. What am I doing wrong?

Roxannes' Answer...

Oh Lordy (as us southerners are prone to say). That’s a tall topic for such a short blog.

Here’s my advice. Begin to tune in to subtle changes in body language when your prospect begins to get restless, dismissive or starts looking around the room. It’s your cue as to where in the presentation you’re losing them. It's crucial to analyse in order to solve the issue.

It could be you are talking too much. That often happens because we’re nervous. For some reason I've noticed many people assume their job is to TELL all they know. Listening to someone go blah,blah,blah,blah...is just plain boring! But asking them questions precisely aimed at discovering how you can help them is far more effective. You get them talking and they’re always interested in what they have to say.

Then reconfirm what they told you were their issues by repeating it back “So I understood you to say that …”. It takes practice so try it on your spouse, friends, kids or whomever. Finally, ask “if I can provide a solution for that, would you be ready to implement immediately?”

Don't despair, though. Even bad sales skills can be overcome with good marketing. Just keeping in front of your prospect can make a hugh difference. That is why many smart marketing gurus and small business owners use entrepreneurs tools like Audio Generator to engage their prospects on a regular basis with informative or helpful hint audio postcards.

I've had plenty of prospects who in the short term told me no, just to come around a year or two later. I've done a little side marketing to help my husbands architectural business at various times over the years. It took me 3 years, four visits and three different contacts to land one of those prospects for my husbands business. That same prospect has given him over $400,000 in revenue since then. The longest one took 12 years, but they have now been a client for 6 years and keep on giving him work.

Remember, no matter what they tell you, things do change and if you're in contact so they remember you, it just might be that you'll benefit. Don't forget tools like Audio Generator that help you stay in front of your prospect without annoying phone calls.

Women in business are leaving their nice safe corporate jobs in record numbers to start their dream business. The businesses are wide and varied from products to services to online businesses. If you are one of those who has become a woman business owner, the question you might have is how do you insure youstart up business that is successful ?