Do This To Avoid Average Sales and Marketing Results

Are You Satisfied With Normal?

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it." ~ Ellen Goodman

Believe it or not, God is not upset with you if you become wealthy. (If you blow it all, now that's a different story...which reminds me of a sign I saw that said "I spent most of my money on beer and women. The rest I just wasted." But I digress.)

God brought you into this world to live abundantly, to be prosperous, to make a difference.

I am Yahweh your God and teach you for your own good, I lead you in the way you ought to go." ~Isaiah 48:17

If they take notice and obey him, the rest of their days are prosperous and the years pass pleasantly." ~Job 36:11

Remember Yahweh your God; he was the one who gave you the strength to act effectively like this, thus keeping then, as today, the covenant which he swore to your ancestors." ~Deut 8:18

So let me ask you something: Are you a Producer of wealth or a Consumer of wealth?

Do you get up 30 minutes before your competition and co-workers with a plan for the day (that includes a list you can't possibly finish, which is the subject of another Weekly Whisper) and start improving your life and the lives of your family by delivering a product or service of value, that is needed by your community and marketplace?

Do you have clear goals—both long-term and short-term—with compressed time frames and a daily action plan to hit them?

To Snooze or Not To Snooze

Or do you...

• hit the snooze 6 times,
• stand in line for 15 minutes to overpay for a sugary, caffeinated, burnt drink that all the cool kids buy,
• drag your butt into work tired and late while complaining of traffic,
• plop down at your desk, check a few emails, roll your eyes at the report you're behind on, scroll through social media, get in a debate with a stranger you'll never meet about a topic you know nothing about and you won't remember tomorrow,
• tell your co-workers how stupid your clients and prospects are and how stupid "management" is because you don't have any good leads,
• make a few half-hearted attempts to reach some prospects,
• send a few proposals,
• beg for a few orders,
• then go home with nothing accomplished and wonder why you're so tired, unhappy, and in debt?

Struck a nerve, did I?

Consider this a sales intervention, because, as a fellow sales professional, I love you, and we only hurt the ones we love...so read on.

Wanna Grow Your Sales? Say Goodbye To Normal.

I won't bore you with yet another goal-setting blog post because, frankly (do I ever write any other way), Covey and Tony and Brian Moran, et al have produced enough of those.

But allow me to touch on one specific thing you can work on to grow your business sooner rather than later.

STOP BEING NORMAL

When it comes to your sales and marketing, normal is the kiss of death.

I include sales in that because it includes the first words that come out of your mouth when you are networking or prospecting.

You stop being normal and START BECOMING INTERESTING—even INTRIGUING—when you learn to pique the attention of your prospect within the first 3-7 seconds of meeting. (Physiologically you are exciting the area of the brain known as "Broca's area." Jokes are funny because Broca's area didn't predict the punchline. But funny salespeople never make the sale.)

So just how good are your headlines, your opening statements, your elevator pitch, your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)? (Need some help?) 

Non-Normal Headlines To Grow Your Sales

Here are some examples of headlines to help you stand out from the crowd in your email marketing, advertising, and even sales calls to stand out from the crown:

• "I'm surprised I haven't heard from you." (My #1 headline for getting people to return my call or email after they promise to get back to me and don't.)
• "I apologize...." (Used to help clients reengage with their contacts after falling behind on their nurturing.)
• "Automate. Integrate. Dominate." (The tagline I wrote for Infusionsoft in the Fall of 2011 when they retained me for some copywriting help.)
• "This will make you feel like you're 16 years old again—but with better judgment." (Health supplement, energy drink, vitamins, gym membership, exercise CD, psychoanalysis)
• "There are two types of people in the world . . . those who get an extra paycheck in their mailbox every week, and those who don't." (Investment services, direct marketing business opportunity, sales, and marketing consulting [my personal favorite].)
• "This will make your skin feel like you're 16 years old, but without the acne." (Skincare, health supplement, spa treatment, facial treatment)
• "How would you like to get a check every time your neighbor picks up the phone?" (Cellular plans, text plans, phone service)
• "I show people how to fire their boss." (Sales training, investment services, direct marketing opportunity)
• "Make your skin younger while you sleep." (Facial cream, etc)
• "3 secrets your boss doesn't want you to know." (Franchise sales, personal development programs)
• "Why your job is making you poor." (Mix and match any from above.)
• "How to laugh at morning commuters from the comfort of your bed." (Ditto)
• "Purple gorillas invade Southern California." (Written for one of my marketing workshops highlighting the fact businesses always have money for a "going out of business sale" and encouraging them to invest in their marketing now.)
• "Hi, this is a sales call. May I take 27 seconds of your time, tell you why I'm calling, and you decide if we speak any further?" Used successfully in cold calling for decades and it still works today. Why? Because it's honest.

Now be honest: aren't all of these better than what you're using on a regular basis?

I know you've probably come up with some good ones in the past but you either forget or don't have the guts to use them in print or verbally and then you KICK YOURSELF for not doing so.

Please use this post as a gentle—or not-so-gentle—kick in the rear to give you the courage and motivation to stop being normal when it comes to selling and marketing.

Consumers are clinging to their wallets like my 7-year old Ava was clinging to her Minnie Mouse sippy cup at the "Happiest Place on Earth" on our last trip, and if you are to win them over you had best be getting and keeping their attention with your words and your headlines.

And you better start now.

Remember, Life is good. It's gooder when you're selling.