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?YOU?RE SO PREDICTABLE!? |

December 24th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

“YOU’RE SO PREDICTABLE!”

“IT SURE IS HOT HERE IN THE CARIBBEAN!”

“Yes, but it’s a ____ ____.”

I would give you three guesses to finish that last sentence and you would probably get it right with two guesses in hand. Why, because it’s predictable.

Are you predictable?

Predictability. It’s what makes marketing sound like marketing, and it’s one of the biggest reasons marketers fail.

Age old clichés, making unsubstantiated claims, and assuming the customer is willing to believe whatever is said are classic mistakes marketers make.

Most marketers are after “smooth,” “polished,” and “clever” ads. Unfortunately the public no longer trusts “smooth,” “polished,” and “clever.”

You know you’re onto good marketing when it doesn’t sound like marketing.

Face it, your competitor thinks just like you. He also wants to lead the customer to the same conclusion. Both of you make the same claims and offer the same assurance in your marketing. The problem with this is your customer has heard it all before, and he’s not buying it!

To be persuasive, your marketing must be frank, direct, and believable.

Your marketing will become believable only when you relate to what your listener is feeling. Tell her what she already knows or suspects! Remind her of the things she has experienced. Tell her her predictions and perceptions are accurate, and she’ll probably agree with whatever you have to say. (Who wouldn’t agree with themselves?)

Build on a foundation of common perspective. See your customers need the way they do. Feel the experience with her and you may discover how to speak to her felt needs. Walk a mile in her shoes before you talk to her about how her feet feel.

(By the way, it’s a “humid heat” here in the Caribbean;)

-          Martin

Check your predictability factor!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/youre-so-predictable-1516968.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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?YOU?RE SO PREDICTABLE!? |

December 24th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

“YOU’RE SO PREDICTABLE!” “IT SURE IS HOT HERE IN THE CARIBBEAN!” “Yes, but it’s a ____ ____.” I would give you three guesses to finish that last sentence and you would probably get it right with two guesses in hand. Why, because it’s predictable. Predictability. It’s what makes marketing sound like marketing, and it’s one of the biggest reasons marketers fail. Age old clichés, making unsubstantiated claims, and assuming the customer is willing to believe whatever is said are classic mistakes marketers make. Most marketers are after “smooth,” “polished,” and “clever” ads. Unfortunately the public no longer trusts “smooth,” “polished,” and “clever.” You know you’re onto good marketing when it doesn’t sound like marketing. Face it, your competitor thinks just like you. He also wants to lead the customer to the same conclusion. Both of you make the same claims and offer the same assurance in your marketing. The problem with this is your customer has heard it all before, and he’s not buying it! To be persuasive, your marketing must be frank, direct, and believable. Your marketing will become believable only when you relate to what your listener is feeling. Tell her what she already knows or suspects! Remind her of the things she has experienced. Tell her her predictions and perceptions are accurate, and she’ll probably agree with whatever you have to say. (Who wouldn’t agree with themselves?) Build on a foundation of common perspective. See your customers need the way they do. Feel the experience with her and you may discover how to speak to her felt needs. Walk a mile in her shoes before you talk to her about how her feet feel. (By the way, it’s a “humid heat” here in the Caribbean;) – Martin To see just how predictable YOU are, go to www.martinvanzyl.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/youre-so-predictable-1517369.html

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No one likes the dark |

December 24th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

No one likes the dark

WHEN YOU ENTER A PITCH DARK ROOM the first thing you want to do is turn the light on. But wouldn’t you rather have the room be well-lit when you enter? Of course you would.

Here is the LIGHT!

When you leave your customers a message that says, “Call me back,” to them it feels like walking into a dark room. The same goes for letting somebody know there is phone for them, but not letting them know who it is. In effect, this means, be ready for anything!

Like good telephone etiquette, good advertising never asks the customer to walk into darkness. A good ad will describe exactly what the customer can expect when he walks into your place of business.

No person takes action until he has seen himself taking such action in his mind. We always imagine doing a thing before we do it.

If you can cause your customer to imagine using your product or service before they have made the choice to do so, you’re headed for a sale. A good ad artfully describes what awaits the customer.

Do your ads take your customer through the entire experience? Do your ads make your customer see, taste and feel your products? A good ad will cause your customer to “see” himself doing what you want him to do. If you’re persistent, he will someday transfer his imagined experience into actual experience.

The longer you keep it up, the better. Ads that whip a customer into immediate action work less and less the longer they run. Ever wonder why those infomercials only do well during their first week or two of being on television? Or why the hottest new diet pill never really sticks around that long (even though it was a “wonder” drug).

Do you have the patience to invest in doing it right?

Can you write ads that cause the customer to experience your products in his imagination? If not, start learning how.

It is both classy and profitable to describe to your customer what he will experience the moment he steps through your door.

No one likes walking into darkness.

-          Martin

Stop the darkness HERE!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/no-one-likes-the-dark-1522986.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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No one likes the dark |

December 24th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

No one likes the dark WHEN YOU ENTER A PITCH DARK ROOM the first thing you want to do is turn the light on. But wouldn’t you rather have the room be well-lit when you enter? Of course you would. When you leave your customers a message that says, “Call me back,” to them it feels like walking into a dark room. The same goes for letting somebody know there is phone for them, but not letting them know who it is. In effect, this means, be ready for anything! Like good telephone etiquette, good advertising never asks the customer to walk into darkness. A good ad will describe exactly what the customer can expect when he walks into your place of business. No person takes action until he has seen himself taking such action in his mind. We always imagine doing a thing before we do it. If you can cause your customer to imagine using your product or service before they have made the choice to do so, you’re headed for a sale. A good ad artfully describes what awaits the customer. Do your ads take your customer through the entire experience? Do your ads make your customer see, taste and feel your products? A good ad will cause your customer to “see” himself doing what you want him to do. If you’re persistent, he will someday transfer his imagined experience into actual experience. The longer you keep it up, the better. Ads that whip a customer into immediate action work less and less the longer they run. Ever wonder why those infomercials only do well during their first week or two of being on television? Or why the hottest new diet pill never really sticks around that long (even though it was a “wonder” drug). Do you have the patience to invest in doing it right? Can you write ads that cause the customer to experience your products in his imagination? If not, start learning how. It is both classy and profitable to describe to your customer what he will experience the moment he steps through your door. No one likes walking into darkness. – Martin To see how Martin can teach you ways to keep your light burning, check out his sit at www.martinvanzyl.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/no-one-likes-the-dark-1523464.html

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Listen Up. If you want to or NOT! |

December 7th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listen Up. If you want to or NOT!

SOME STATEMENTS MAKE NO SENSE but are accepted by the norm anyway.

Take the following sayings:

“No one goes there anymore. It gets too crowded.”

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”

“My business is doing great, but my clients complain they hear my ads too much.”

Listen Up HERE

Ok that last one is not a famous saying but a true one none the less. A lot of (successful) business people say that their clients complain that they hear their ads too much. Did I say they were very successful?

It’s pretty strange that people will complain about hearing an ad too often but never about reading an ad too often? Radio and television will often be recommended, but rarely newspaper: “You can close your eyes but you can’t close your ears.”

We hear even when we’re not listening, but we can’t see unless we’re watching.

That is why we are so good at remembering songs we didn’t want to memorize, but we can’t name the colour of the car that sits in the driveway just five houses down the street from ours, even though we drive past it several times a week.

There are two kinds or ads: Echoic (sound) and iconic (sight). Echoic ads are far more intrusive than iconic ads. It is because of the intrusive nature of sound that people often complain about ads on the radio, but never about those in print.

The problem with using sound is that echoic ads require repetition to be effective. With iconic ads people can choose not to read it at all.

The listener to an echoic ad is not allowed this control. But the ad HAS to be repeated.

To gain the maximum exposure you long for you have to repeat your ads relentlessly. Yes, people might claim to be sick of hearing your ads, but underneath their so called complaints lay a seed buried in their subconscious waiting eagerly to crack the surface.

(Okay it’s not quite that dramatic, but it’s true anyway.)

-Martin

Choose to Listen

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listen-up-if-you-want-to-or-not-1499165.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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Listen Up. If you want to or NOT! |

December 7th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listen Up. If you want to or NOT!

SOME STATEMENTS MAKE NO SENSE but are accepted by the norm anyway.

Take the following sayings:

“No one goes there anymore. It gets too crowded.”

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”

“My business is doing great, but my clients complain they hear my ads too much.”

Listen Up HERE

Ok that last one is not a famous saying but a true one none the less. A lot of (successful) business people say that their clients complain that they hear their ads too much. Did I say they were very successful?

It’s pretty strange that people will complain about hearing an ad too often but never about reading an ad too often? Radio and television will often be recommended, but rarely newspaper: “You can close your eyes but you can’t close your ears.”

We hear even when we’re not listening, but we can’t see unless we’re watching.

That is why we are so good at remembering songs we didn’t want to memorize, but we can’t name the colour of the car that sits in the driveway just five houses down the street from ours, even though we drive past it several times a week.

There are two kinds or ads: Echoic (sound) and iconic (sight). Echoic ads are far more intrusive than iconic ads. It is because of the intrusive nature of sound that people often complain about ads on the radio, but never about those in print.

The problem with using sound is that echoic ads require repetition to be effective. With iconic ads people can choose not to read it at all.

The listener to an echoic ad is not allowed this control. But the ad HAS to be repeated.

To gain the maximum exposure you long for you have to repeat your ads relentlessly. Yes, people might claim to be sick of hearing your ads, but underneath their so called complaints lay a seed buried in their subconscious waiting eagerly to crack the surface.

(Okay it’s not quite that dramatic, but it’s true anyway.)

-Martin

Choose to Listen

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listen-up-if-you-want-to-or-not-1499173.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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Posted in Advertising Articles

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Listen Up. If you want to or NOT! |

December 7th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listen Up. If you want to or NOT!

SOME STATEMENTS MAKE NO SENSE but are accepted by the norm anyway.

Take the following sayings:

“No one goes there anymore. It gets too crowded.”

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”

“My business is doing great, but my clients complain they hear my ads too much.”

Listen Up HERE

Ok that last one is not a famous saying but a true one none the less. A lot of (successful) business people say that their clients complain that they hear their ads too much. Did I say they were very successful?

It’s pretty strange that people will complain about hearing an ad too often but never about reading an ad too often? Radio and television will often be recommended, but rarely newspaper: “You can close your eyes but you can’t close your ears.”

We hear even when we’re not listening, but we can’t see unless we’re watching.

That is why we are so good at remembering songs we didn’t want to memorize, but we can’t name the colour of the car that sits in the driveway just five houses down the street from ours, even though we drive past it several times a week.

There are two kinds or ads: Echoic (sound) and iconic (sight). Echoic ads are far more intrusive than iconic ads. It is because of the intrusive nature of sound that people often complain about ads on the radio, but never about those in print.

The problem with using sound is that echoic ads require repetition to be effective. With iconic ads people can choose not to read it at all.

The listener to an echoic ad is not allowed this control. But the ad HAS to be repeated.

To gain the maximum exposure you long for you have to repeat your ads relentlessly. Yes, people might claim to be sick of hearing your ads, but underneath their so called complaints lay a seed buried in their subconscious waiting eagerly to crack the surface.

(Okay it’s not quite that dramatic, but it’s true anyway.)

-Martin

Choose to Listen

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listen-up-if-you-want-to-or-not-1499188.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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Posted in Advertising Articles

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Listen Up. If you want to or NOT! |

December 7th, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listen Up. If you want to or NOT! SOME STATEMENTS MAKE NO SENSE but are accepted by the norm anyway. Take the following sayings: “No one goes there anymore. It gets too crowded.” “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” “You can observe a lot by just watching.” “My business is doing great, but my clients complain they hear my ads too much.” Ok that last one is not a famous saying but a true one none the less. A lot of (successful) business people say that their clients complain that they hear their ads too much. Did I say they were very successful? It’s pretty strange that people will complain about hearing an ad too often but never about reading an ad too often? Radio and television will often be recommended, but rarely newspaper: “You can close your eyes but you can’t close your ears.” We hear even when we’re not listening, but we can’t see unless we’re watching. That is why we are so good at remembering songs we didn’t want to memorize, but we can’t name the colour of the car that sits in the driveway just five houses down the street from ours, even though we drive past it several times a week. There are two kinds or ads: Echoic (sound) and iconic (sight). Echoic ads are far more intrusive than iconic ads. It is because of the intrusive nature of sound that people often complain about ads on the radio, but never about those in print. The problem with using sound is that echoic ads require repetition to be effective. With iconic ads people can choose not to read it at all. The listener to an echoic ad is not allowed this control. But the ad HAS to be repeated. To gain the maximum exposure you long for you have to repeat your ads relentlessly. Yes, people might claim to be sick of hearing your ads, but underneath their so called complaints lay a seed buried in their subconscious waiting eagerly to crack the surface. (Okay it’s not quite that dramatic, but it’s true anyway.) -Martin Come see what you can listen to which will change everything! www.martinvanzyl.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listen-up-if-you-want-to-or-not-1499963.html

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Listening to Jim |

November 21st, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listening to Jim

JIM WAS AN OLD WAR VETERAN and liked his profanity.

How you can Listen

Born into a middle class family with too many children, Jim grew into a sour, salty old man.

When I was fourteen, Jim hired me to do some work at his steel yard. No self-respecting steelworker would be seen doing the work I was asked to. I was known as “kid”. “Kid! Scrub the #&%@ washroom!” “Kid! Make sure the &#%* trucks are unloaded!”

My favourite job was to load a thousand gallons of water onto Jim’s truck and then drain it down a hole in Jim’s front yard whenever his well ran dry.

Looking back, I see the day Jim taught me to haul water as pivotal in my life.

We would drive north forever and come to a stop next to the road at an abandoned industrial wasteland.

Jim parked his car under an old oak tree at the edge of the gravel, and we got out of the truck together. “C’mere, Kid! I’m going to teach you how to haul &#@* water.”

Walking behind a pile of junk at the edge of the gravel, Jim emerged with a gigantic canvas hose, which he strapped to the opening of our homemade water tank.

He then turned a hidden valve within the junk pile. I watched in amazement as gloriously bright, clean water began gushing into our tank.

On the drive home, Jim swerved into the right lane as though passing an invisible car. Being only a “kid,” I knew better than to question Jim’s driving, but curiosity got the best of me.

“Look behind us,” Jim said. “You see that big branch hanging over the road? Well, that branch is dead and is going to break one day.” As I turned to quietly stare down the road in front of me, Jim added, “And I don’t want to be under it when it does.”

Noticing that Jim was completely serious, I answered him as solemnly as I knew how. “Thanks for pointing that out, Jim, I’ll try to remember it.”

Jim turned to me as though he’d seen me for the first time. “Kid, every living person has something he can teach you. Always find out what it is and let him teach it to you. Folks are happy to teach you valuable things if you’ll only let ‘em.”

After a long silence, Jim spoke again. “Kid, if you can find even one true friend in your life, you’ll have done better than most…but you’ll never find a true friend unless you’re willing to be one.”

We rode the remainder of the ride in silence, but I understood.

Jim has shared his secret fear of the old branch breaking. I didn’t laugh but quietly listened, and a valve had opened.

The day Jim taught me to haul water, I learned that beneath even the shabbiest gravel parking lot, one can find a wealth of hidden treasure.

-          Martin

Your Hidden Treasure

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listening-to-jim-1469456.html

About the Author:

Martin van Zyl is a professional marketer and home business owner. To learn about Martin and how he can help you, visit – http://www.martinvanzyl.com

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Listening to Jim |

November 21st, 2009

Author: Martin Van Zyl

Listening to Jim JIM WAS AN OLD WAR VETERAN and liked his profanity. How you can Listen Born into a middle class family with too many children, Jim grew into a sour, salty old man. When I was fourteen, Jim hired me to do some work at his steel yard. No self-respecting steelworker would be seen doing the work I was asked to. I was known as “kid”. “Kid! Scrub the #&%@ washroom!” “Kid! Make sure the &#%* trucks are unloaded!” My favourite job was to load a thousand gallons of water onto Jim’s truck and then drain it down a hole in Jim’s front yard whenever his well ran dry. Looking back, I see the day Jim taught me to haul water as pivotal in my life. We would drive north forever and come to a stop next to the road at an abandoned industrial wasteland. Jim parked his car under an old oak tree at the edge of the gravel, and we got out of the truck together. “C’mere, Kid! I’m going to teach you how to haul &#@* water.” Walking behind a pile of junk at the edge of the gravel, Jim emerged with a gigantic canvas hose, which he strapped to the opening of our homemade water tank. He then turned a hidden valve within the junk pile. I watched in amazement as gloriously bright, clean water began gushing into our tank. On the drive home, Jim swerved into the right lane as though passing an invisible car. Being only a “kid,” I knew better than to question Jim’s driving, but curiosity got the best of me. “Look behind us,” Jim said. “You see that big branch hanging over the road? Well, that branch is dead and is going to break one day.” As I turned to quietly stare down the road in front of me, Jim added, “And I don’t want to be under it when it does.” Noticing that Jim was completely serious, I answered him as solemnly as I knew how. “Thanks for pointing that out, Jim, I’ll try to remember it.” Jim turned to me as though he’d seen me for the first time. “Kid, every living person has something he can teach you. Always find out what it is and let him teach it to you. Folks are happy to teach you valuable things if you’ll only let ‘em.” After a long silence, Jim spoke again. “Kid, if you can find even one true friend in your life, you’ll have done better than most…but you’ll never find a true friend unless you’re willing to be one.” We rode the remainder of the ride in silence, but I understood. Jim has shared his secret fear of the old branch breaking. I didn’t laugh but quietly listened, and a valve had opened. The day Jim taught me to haul water, I learned that beneath even the shabbiest gravel parking lot, one can find a wealth of hidden treasure. – Martin Your Hidden Treasure

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/listening-to-jim-1469826.html

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