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Results! Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Publisher <newsletters@michelepw.com> http://www.michelepw.com June 19, 2008; Vol. 3, Issue 5 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> THIS ISSUE: Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> You've received this e-newsletter because you've SUBSCRIBED to it. To be removed from my list, please see the END of this e-mail. Please pass on this issue to friends and associates -- just keep the entire message intact. Need an article for your Web site or e-newsletter? Why not use one of mine? Just keep the copyright/author information intact. You can find articles at http://www.michelepw.com/articles.html. I post new articles each month so keep coming back. AOL Users: Please add me to your address book so you'll continue receiving future issues. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> CONTENTS: 1) Note from PW 2) Barks from Nick 3) Main Article -- Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? 4) Recommended Resource -- Women's Business Empowerment Seminar 5) About Michele PW <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 1) NOTE FROM PW --------------------------------------------------------- Dear Readers, The San Diego marathon went great. I'm still working on my post-marathon blog post, will let you know when it's up. But I finished a personal best, 38 minutes faster than last year (6 hours and 26 min). For those of you who are wondering, a marathon is 26.2 miles, so I averaged about a 15-minute mile. I'm hoping next year to get it down to around 6 hours -- I probably will never get much faster then that as I don't plan to ever actually run it. Walking is good enough for me. As promised, I'm starting my marketing foundation series this issue. And I'm starting it with a story. This story has haunted me for years, and my hope is you'll be able to apply the lessons to your business. To Your Success, Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist newsletters@michelepw.com www.MichelePW.com 877-754-3384 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Got a Web site and no sales? In 30 minutes or less you can quickly and easily pinpoint EXACTLY what's wrong with your site and what you need to do to transform it into a money-making machine! http://www.michelepw.com/10easysteps.html <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 2) BARKS FROM NICK Musings about business, marketing, copywriting and life from a border collie's perspective. (Nick is helping me out by writing a column each issue for my newsletter.) Check out Nick's blog at http://www.michelepw.com/nblog for past entries and other fun stuff. "You're wasting your time chasing the quails," Maddie, my packmate, told me. Recently, I had decided to start asking around for a business coach. I realized I needed a business coach after losing my steam about creating a business. I had wanted to get the word out about obedience classes being for humans, not dogs. I thought dogs would be beating down the door to drag their humans to obedience classes. We were standing outside and the quails were no where to be found. "If I don't chase them, how do I get them to answer my question?" Maddie sniffed the ground. "If you chase them, all they'll do is run away." I put my ears down. I didn't feel like Maddie was listening to me. "If I don't chase them, how can I ask my question?" Maddie wrinkled her nose and started to trot away. "Why don't you get the quails to come to you?" Wuff, Nick, the border collie <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 3) **MAIN ARTICLE** --------------------------------------------------------- Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? A few years ago, I met a woman who was trying to peddle a painting created by a relatively famous Western painter. This painter had painted it specifically for her family. It was the story about how her father acquired his favorite horse. He was hiking somewhere and came across a dead mare tangled in barb wire with the colt standing next to the body. The poor colt didn't know what to do without his mom. So her father took the colt home and raised him. The painter (who knew her father personally) was so moved by this story he went to his studio and painted it. He then gave the portrait to her father, who treasured it. However, the father had recently died, and the woman wanted to sell the painting. In her mind, it was worth quite a bit. The painter was famous, many of his paintings went for quite a bit of money. And it was a one-of-a-kind. Buyers should be lined up around the block to snap it up. She thought she should be fighting them off with a riding crop. But to her utter surprise and astonishment, no one was interested. More then that, they didn't want to buy it for ANY price, much less the price of what she thought it was worth. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out the problem. She actually had the painting with her when she told this story, and unwrapped it to show everyone. So I got to see this painting, which I've never been able to get out of mind. This picture of a dead horse, wrapped in barbwire, with the poor colt standing close by, head bowed in mourning. The landscape is beautiful but bleak and desolate around him. Needless to say, I took one look at this painting and knew EXACTLY why she was having trouble selling it. First off, it was disturbing. The horse is clearly dead, the barbwire wrapped around her was bloody. And the colt looks so alone and helpless in the landscape. (It reminded me a bit of the scene in Dumbo where Dumbo was saying goodbye to his mother, who is wrapped in chains. Another dreadful scene.) Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with disturbing, plenty of people buy disturbing art. But not her target market. Her target market is people who buy Western art. Western art is realistic art. While many times there is a sense of loneliness and desolation, I wouldn't classify much of it as actually disturbing. On top of that, many people who buy Western art love horses. People who love horses probably wouldn't want a painting of a dead horse hanging in their living room. (Call me crazy, I know.) So, while she probably does have something valuable on her hands (a one-of-a-kind painted by a famous artist) it's not what the target market buys. And that, my friends, is the point I'm trying to make. It doesn't matter how good your product is or how much you believe your target market NEEDS what you're selling. If it's not a good fit, it isn't going to matter because they won't buy. So the first thing you need to look at is this: Is what you're selling (whether it's a product or service) something your target market WANTS to buy? Not needs to buy but wants to buy. No one buys what they need, people buy what they want. Many times they'll justify it as "need" (i.e. I need a dress for the wedding, I need to eat organic food because it's better for my health) but those are still wants, not needs. You WANT to show up at the wedding in a nice dress, but no one is going to shoot you if you show up in jeans. (Dirty looks maybe but no executions.) You WANT to take good care of yourself so you buy organic, but you can live a long time on cheap, non organic food. (Maybe you'll have other health problems, but you'll still be alive.) If what you're selling is not what your target market wants to buy, then you need to either find a different target market or sell something different. And if what you're selling IS what your target market wants to buy, but they're not buying it, then you need to look at how you're explaining it so people realize they do want to buy it. Here's another quick example of making sure what you're selling matches up to what your target market is buying. You may have noticed Hollywood is coming out with an Incredible Hulk movie. But wait, you might be thinking, hasn't there already been an Incredible Hulk movie? Why yes, in 2003. But the movie didn't do very well. Why? Well, common thought is because people go see an Incredible Hulk movie because they want to see a big green guy running amok and wreaking all sorts of havoc. The one in 2003 didn't deliver -- it was a slower, angst-ridden Hulk we saw, not one gleefully stomping about ripping police cars in half. Whether or not this Hulk movie does better in the box office is yet to be seen, and it's really besides the point. The point is, Marvel Comics believed that the first movie did not deliver what their target market wanted, and therefore the target market did not buy. So, they decided to repackage it and re-release it (to the tune of $150 million). If Marvel Comics is willing to redo a movie and spend $150 million on it, how much are YOU willing to spend to repackage your services and products to better match to what your target market wants to buy? <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 4) RECOMMENDED RESOURCE -- Women's Business Empowerment Summit --------------------------------------------------------- If you haven't yet been to Lynn Pierce's Women's Business Empowerment Summit, then you are in for a real treat. This year, I'm one of the speakers, and if you sign up through my affiliate link I'll treat you to a private VIP lunch with me! (And yes, men can come too!) Here's the link: http://www.michelepw.com/wbes <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 5) ABOUT MICHELE PW ---------------------------------------------------------- Imagine: Your potential customers transforming into actual customers…all without you lifting a finger. Sound too good to be true? It’s not...when you hire Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist. What Michele specializes in is writing copy and creating marketing campaigns that gets people to TAKE ACTION, whatever that action may be (signing up for your newsletter, buying a product, hiring you etc.). In fact, Michele has mastered psychological and hypnotic techniques designed to persuade your target market to become your customers. She also specializes in warm Web 2.0 traffic strategies that will bring a flood of hungry visitors to your Web site who want to buy exactly what you sell! Whether it’s online or offline you need, Michele PW knows how to Rev Up Your Results! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Write me at <newsletters@michelepw.com. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> PLEASE FORWARD THIS PUBLICATION to your friends and colleagues. And invite them to subscribe as well: http://www.michelepw.com/newsletter.html <><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Michele PW respects your privacy and DOES NOT give out or sell subscribers' names and/or e-mail addresses. (c) 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek, Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC PO Box 10430 Prescott, AZ 86304 877-754-3384 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Results! Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Publisher <newsletters@michelepw.com> http://www.michelepw.com June 19, 2008; Vol. 3, Issue 5 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> THIS ISSUE: Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> You've received this e-newsletter because you've SUBSCRIBED to it. To be removed from my list, please see the END of this e-mail. Please pass on this issue to friends and associates -- just keep the entire message intact. Need an article for your Web site or e-newsletter? Why not use one of mine? Just keep the copyright/author information intact. You can find articles at http://www.michelepw.com/articles.html. I post new articles each month so keep coming back. AOL Users: Please add me to your address book so you'll continue receiving future issues. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> CONTENTS: 1) Note from PW 2) Barks from Nick 3) Main Article -- Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? 4) Recommended Resource -- Women's Business Empowerment Seminar 5) About Michele PW <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 1) NOTE FROM PW --------------------------------------------------------- Dear Readers, The San Diego marathon went great. I'm still working on my post-marathon blog post, will let you know when it's up. But I finished a personal best, 38 minutes faster than last year (6 hours and 26 min). For those of you who are wondering, a marathon is 26.2 miles, so I averaged about a 15-minute mile. I'm hoping next year to get it down to around 6 hours -- I probably will never get much faster then that as I don't plan to ever actually run it. Walking is good enough for me. As promised, I'm starting my marketing foundation series this issue. And I'm starting it with a story. This story has haunted me for years, and my hope is you'll be able to apply the lessons to your business. To Your Success, Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist newsletters@michelepw.com www.MichelePW.com 877-754-3384 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Got a Web site and no sales? In 30 minutes or less you can quickly and easily pinpoint EXACTLY what's wrong with your site and what you need to do to transform it into a money-making machine! http://www.michelepw.com/10easysteps.html <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 2) BARKS FROM NICK Musings about business, marketing, copywriting and life from a border collie's perspective. (Nick is helping me out by writing a column each issue for my newsletter.) Check out Nick's blog at http://www.michelepw.com/nblog for past entries and other fun stuff. "You're wasting your time chasing the quails," Maddie, my packmate, told me. Recently, I had decided to start asking around for a business coach. I realized I needed a business coach after losing my steam about creating a business. I had wanted to get the word out about obedience classes being for humans, not dogs. I thought dogs would be beating down the door to drag their humans to obedience classes. We were standing outside and the quails were no where to be found. "If I don't chase them, how do I get them to answer my question?" Maddie sniffed the ground. "If you chase them, all they'll do is run away." I put my ears down. I didn't feel like Maddie was listening to me. "If I don't chase them, how can I ask my question?" Maddie wrinkled her nose and started to trot away. "Why don't you get the quails to come to you?" Wuff, Nick, the border collie <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 3) **MAIN ARTICLE** --------------------------------------------------------- Does Your Marketing Feel As Effective As a Dead Horse? A few years ago, I met a woman who was trying to peddle a painting created by a relatively famous Western painter. This painter had painted it specifically for her family. It was the story about how her father acquired his favorite horse. He was hiking somewhere and came across a dead mare tangled in barb wire with the colt standing next to the body. The poor colt didn't know what to do without his mom. So her father took the colt home and raised him. The painter (who knew her father personally) was so moved by this story he went to his studio and painted it. He then gave the portrait to her father, who treasured it. However, the father had recently died, and the woman wanted to sell the painting. In her mind, it was worth quite a bit. The painter was famous, many of his paintings went for quite a bit of money. And it was a one-of-a-kind. Buyers should be lined up around the block to snap it up. She thought she should be fighting them off with a riding crop. But to her utter surprise and astonishment, no one was interested. More then that, they didn't want to buy it for ANY price, much less the price of what she thought it was worth. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out the problem. She actually had the painting with her when she told this story, and unwrapped it to show everyone. So I got to see this painting, which I've never been able to get out of mind. This picture of a dead horse, wrapped in barbwire, with the poor colt standing close by, head bowed in mourning. The landscape is beautiful but bleak and desolate around him. Needless to say, I took one look at this painting and knew EXACTLY why she was having trouble selling it. First off, it was disturbing. The horse is clearly dead, the barbwire wrapped around her was bloody. And the colt looks so alone and helpless in the landscape. (It reminded me a bit of the scene in Dumbo where Dumbo was saying goodbye to his mother, who is wrapped in chains. Another dreadful scene.) Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with disturbing, plenty of people buy disturbing art. But not her target market. Her target market is people who buy Western art. Western art is realistic art. While many times there is a sense of loneliness and desolation, I wouldn't classify much of it as actually disturbing. On top of that, many people who buy Western art love horses. People who love horses probably wouldn't want a painting of a dead horse hanging in their living room. (Call me crazy, I know.) So, while she probably does have something valuable on her hands (a one-of-a-kind painted by a famous artist) it's not what the target market buys. And that, my friends, is the point I'm trying to make. It doesn't matter how good your product is or how much you believe your target market NEEDS what you're selling. If it's not a good fit, it isn't going to matter because they won't buy. So the first thing you need to look at is this: Is what you're selling (whether it's a product or service) something your target market WANTS to buy? Not needs to buy but wants to buy. No one buys what they need, people buy what they want. Many times they'll justify it as "need" (i.e. I need a dress for the wedding, I need to eat organic food because it's better for my health) but those are still wants, not needs. You WANT to show up at the wedding in a nice dress, but no one is going to shoot you if you show up in jeans. (Dirty looks maybe but no executions.) You WANT to take good care of yourself so you buy organic, but you can live a long time on cheap, non organic food. (Maybe you'll have other health problems, but you'll still be alive.) If what you're selling is not what your target market wants to buy, then you need to either find a different target market or sell something different. And if what you're selling IS what your target market wants to buy, but they're not buying it, then you need to look at how you're explaining it so people realize they do want to buy it. Here's another quick example of making sure what you're selling matches up to what your target market is buying. You may have noticed Hollywood is coming out with an Incredible Hulk movie. But wait, you might be thinking, hasn't there already been an Incredible Hulk movie? Why yes, in 2003. But the movie didn't do very well. Why? Well, common thought is because people go see an Incredible Hulk movie because they want to see a big green guy running amok and wreaking all sorts of havoc. The one in 2003 didn't deliver -- it was a slower, angst-ridden Hulk we saw, not one gleefully stomping about ripping police cars in half. Whether or not this Hulk movie does better in the box office is yet to be seen, and it's really besides the point. The point is, Marvel Comics believed that the first movie did not deliver what their target market wanted, and therefore the target market did not buy. So, they decided to repackage it and re-release it (to the tune of $150 million). If Marvel Comics is willing to redo a movie and spend $150 million on it, how much are YOU willing to spend to repackage your services and products to better match to what your target market wants to buy? <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 4) RECOMMENDED RESOURCE -- Women's Business Empowerment Summit --------------------------------------------------------- If you haven't yet been to Lynn Pierce's Women's Business Empowerment Summit, then you are in for a real treat. This year, I'm one of the speakers, and if you sign up through my affiliate link I'll treat you to a private VIP lunch with me! (And yes, men can come too!) Here's the link: http://www.michelepw.com/wbes <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 5) ABOUT MICHELE PW ---------------------------------------------------------- Imagine: Your potential customers transforming into actual customers…all without you lifting a finger. Sound too good to be true? It’s not...when you hire Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) Your $Ka-Ching!$ Marketing Strategist. What Michele specializes in is writing copy and creating marketing campaigns that gets people to TAKE ACTION, whatever that action may be (signing up for your newsletter, buying a product, hiring you etc.). In fact, Michele has mastered psychological and hypnotic techniques designed to persuade your target market to become your customers. She also specializes in warm Web 2.0 traffic strategies that will bring a flood of hungry visitors to your Web site who want to buy exactly what you sell! Whether it’s online or offline you need, Michele PW knows how to Rev Up Your Results! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Write me at <newsletters@michelepw.com. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> PLEASE FORWARD THIS PUBLICATION to your friends and colleagues. And invite them to subscribe as well: http://www.michelepw.com/newsletter.html <><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Michele PW respects your privacy and DOES NOT give out or sell subscribers' names and/or e-mail addresses. (c) 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek, Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC PO Box 10430 Prescott, AZ 86304 877-754-3384 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This email has been sent to you because you've signed up.If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here: http://www.michelepw.com/cgi/nsunsignup.php?email=55251@zinester.com&tag=1213931572 |
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| << May28, 2008 - On Grandpa Time |
June30, 2008 - Marketing Lessons from the Marathon >> |
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