Facts or Stories?

Facts or Stories?

by | Jul 13, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Is Advertising Rocket Science? 

You’ve heard the expression, “It’s not rocket science”, but when it comes to advertising is science a good thing or a bad thing? 

The word “Science” comes from the Latin word “Scientia” which means knowledge. 

If advertising was a science, you then would need to assume that you could sell your products or services by simply explaining the facts, figures, and specific evidence as to why your product or service was a better choice than your competitors’.

The truth is, nearly all purchasing decisions are made based on emotion, not logic or science. Note: Although few, there are exceptions to this rule.

In the 1980s, Apple’s advertising tried to persuade IT execs and big companies to switch to Macs by promoting and selling with facts and studies that proved the Mac was easier and less expensive to support. They failed. 

Apple turned the corner when they began to use the stories and testimonials from passionate IT “customers-turned-evangelists” to tell their stories of why they had switched to Apple.          

Humans are funny creatures. Our purchasing decisions are largely based on emotion and only rationalized with knowledge. Stubborn consumers who have preconceived notions about you or your competitors will ignore facts that are counter to their heartfelt beliefs and will seek facts that support their beliefs to justify their purchases.

Having one human tell others about the emotional experience of a certain product or company is far more powerful than stating facts! Humans respond positively to stories or testimonials from their peers who once felt the same as they do. 

Changing human minds is never an easy task. Over time, with a series of true and relevant testimonials from real customers, the perceptions non-customers have about your business can change, turning skeptics into loyal followers and even evangelists.

To receive the 14 Step Guide to Testimonial Advertising, click here and start converting non-believers into customers for your business.

And to get more Sound ADvice insight like this delivered to your inbox Wednesday mornings, fill out the Sound ADvice box below.

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Learn From The Best

Learn From The Best

by | Apr 7, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, Uncategorized, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

It’s a weird and wacky world out there right now.

We are hearing stories about the record number of people who are filing for unemployment, the devastating stories of people dying from this mystery virus that we have yet to get a handle on because it is new to the medical and scientific community.

Some of us are working from home, other are at home trying to figure out how to occupy their time.

As business owners and managers, I understand you want some answers, but the answers to the questions you really want aren’t available yet.

We don’t know what the final tally will be healthwise or financially. We are living in the middle of a movie and this is not your typical romantic comedy or action flick where we know the good guys always win.  This is real life, your life, my life and the lives of the people we work with and live with.

You want answers, you want solutions, and while I wish I could give you a road map to follow exactly…

I can’t because each of you have different circumstances and variables that will determine the steps to take.

Instead I am going to take a moment and share with you some resources that I shared with my team.

Near the end of February, I was offered and accepted a promotion to become the General Sales Manager of WOWO Radio. WOWO is one of a dozen stations owned by Federated Media in Indiana  and the past few years the WOWO Local Sales Team has been the largest producer of revenue for our company.  I’ve been part of that team for nearly 7 years.

Less than 4 weeks after the promotion to lead, manage and coach our team, Black Friday hit.  It was my wife’s birthday March 13th and the orders to stay at home were causing businesses to scramble and try and figure out what to do next. 

One of the things I prepared for my team was a list of some resources that have helped me over the years. With the extra time you have and your desire to find some answers, this list of resources could spur your thinking and creativity.

In 1986 I made the switch from having fun and being creative as a radio personality in the programming side of the business, to needing to learn how to apply that creativity and fun to the money making side of the business, the advertising, marketing and sales side.

Roy H. Williams:  https://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/  I subscribe to this and have fun digging into the “rabbit hole” in each memo.

 

https://harveymackay.com/ Has a bunch of resources and I’ve read and recommend his first two books, Swim and Naked.

 

https://www.gitomer.com/ has free stuff you can sign up for.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0071373586  Is a book I bought when I first started in the advertising side of radio in Detroit.  Great stuff.

 

I subscribe to Art’s emails: https://businessbyphone.com/

 

And circling back to Roy Williams, some of his partners also write great stuff that you can subscribe to: https://wizardofads.org/articles/

 

I  also have over 1400 articles and over 150 podcast episodes that I’ve created at my own website: https://www.scotthoward.me/ and I update with fresh material every single week.

I have been learning for over 30 years and continue to soak up wisdom from others.

I also have a weekly newsletter called Sound ADvice that is free and delivered to your email Wednesday mornings if you sign up for it.

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The Power Of Appreciation

The Power Of Appreciation

by | Nov 11, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Show Them You Appreciate Them!

The New Technology World we live in has certainly made some things easier, but in return, it has taken away a lot of the old fashioned customer service and appreciation. 

There was a time when you made a purchase and you might have received a handwritten thank you note, or from time to time small tokens of appreciation for simply being a loyal customer.

While these little marketing gestures may have faded, they certainly haven’t gone away.

Amit Kumar, a University of Texas professor who studies well-being, says that most of us underestimate the impact of sending an actual note rather than a text or email.

When Doug Conant became the CEO of Campbell’s Soup, the company was struggling and morale was at an all-time low.  He did a lot of things to turn the company around, but one of the most powerful was he wrote over 30,000 thank you notes in his 10-year journey.

According to a survey by TopResume, two-thirds of employers say receiving a thank you note from a job applicant following an interview impacted their hiring decision.

The continued advancement of technology makes the “human touch” that much more appreciated!  The impact of a handwritten note is greater than ever!

It also goes beyond just your customers.  The same appreciation can be shown to your staff, your suppliers, and vendors.

The cost to acquire a new customer is high.  The cost to keep them can be as little as a handwritten thank you note, or a simple token of appreciation!

Show them – you appreciate them!

Here in the United States we are on the cusp of the end of year holiday season starting with Thanksgiving this month followed by all the December holidays including Christmas and then we ring in a new year.  Do you or does your company give gifts to your clients?  Do you give bonuses to your staff?

While tradition may dictate that you do these things this time of year, I urge you to set up a system of appreciation that is outside the Holiday timeframe too.

Click here to view 14 Appreciation Marketing Tactics to make an emotional connection with your customers, staff, and suppliers.

You can also get a free subscription to my Sound ADvice marketing and business tips email newsletter by filling in the form below.   As always feel free to ask me anything by sending me a note to Scott@WOWO.com

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7 Sales Secret Tips

7 Sales Secret Tips

by | May 14, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Every once in awhile, it’s good to take a look at what has helped you become successful and today is one of those days.

In 2009 I wrote and published an article on 7 Sales Secrets that generated some national attention.

I was 6 years into my position as an advertising sales person with a group of radio stations and saw that there were lots of reasons why people were not successful and I wanted to do what I could to help them succeed.

These 7 Sales Secret Tips apply to you if you work for someone else or are running your own business and they are timeless, not matter what the technology changes that have taken place or will occur in the future.

I’ve updated these tips for 2019:

The 7 Secrets are neither original, nor secret.

1. People don’t want to buy what you are trying to sell them.They want to buy a solution to their problem/need/want. The classic example is people don’t buy a drill because of the shiny black handle. They buy a drill because they need to create a hole. What is the other persons real problem/need/want?

2. Price is not important. Value is all that matters. While there are limits to what someone is willing or able to spend, if your customer sees no value in what you are offering, there is no price cheap enough to overcome a lack of value. You can discount yourself out of business and you can also train your customers to only buy from you when you offer a discount.  The companies and people that having staying power go beyond price and offer value, Do you?

3. Objections can lead to a yes. An easy “yes” means you either know your client very well, or you’re just being an order taker. I know it sounds harsh, but objections are conversation starters, and these conversations can lead to customizing a solution to their problem/need/want.  I rarely have a package or program that I “pitch”. Instead I know why options I can offer.  Do you know the difference? Which leads us to…

4. You have to listen and learn, more than smile and sell. I do my homework and am prepared with research about my customers and their business. I also look at their competition and we talk about them. We talk about their goals for the future, their past history, what they have done that was successful and what didn’t work too. Too often salespeople are only focused on what they have to sell instead of seeing how they can help their customers. If you are focused too much on what you want, it will show and you can actually repel people from buying from you.

5. Your customer knows more than you give them credit for. We live in an information age with easy access via the internet. Your customer has done their research. However…

6. Your customer knows less than they think they do. Just because the information is available, doesn’t mean they know how to use interpret it and use it to their advantage. That’s where you come in as the expert. Which means that you better know your stuff inside and out. You are personally responsible for your own education, not your boss. Be your very best. You need to also talk with your customers in such a manner that they understand.  Don’t limit yourself to insider jargon.

7. Relationships are forever. Apply the Golden Rule. Treat others with the same honesty and respect that you would like to be treated with. Keep relationships alive with your customers, potential customers and even those that may never become your customers. After a few years  I had developed relationships that began paying off in ways I would have never imagined. Now that I have more than 16 years in the media and marketing world in Fort Wayne including working for WOWO radio since 2013, I am enjoying the fruits of my years of cultivating my own brand and reputation.  How about you?

That’s it. A half dozen plus one Sales Secrets, that shouldn’t be secret. Your comments are always welcome.  Reach me at Scott@WOWO.com if you would like my help or have more to add.

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The Holi-daze Marketing Thought-Starter

The Holi-daze Marketing Thought-Starter

by | Nov 20, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, Uncategorized, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

The Holi-daze are upon on and this is a weird and wonderful time of year.  I’ve created a few items that you as a business person or marketing person, or what ever kind of person you are, you can take a look at and use to help you navigate the last few weeks of this year.

If this is make it or break it time for your retail business, it’s time to suck it up. Just because you are having to work long hours and cover for the employees that are sick or you just are short handed because all the good people have jobs elsewhere due, remember your customers.

The customers who actually drove to your store really want to buy something that you sell.  Otherwise, we would have ordered it online.  Just the other day, my wife was working on a project and after making a couple trips to the store, she asked me to order a tool online. It took me less than 10 minutes on a Saturday afternoon and it arrived at our house Monday.  While that was convenient for my family, we are also a shop local family.  Of the $200 we spent on this project, $185 went to a local store and $15 went to Amazon.

That’s because we are consciously looking to support our friends and neighbors.  Locally owned coffee shops and restaurants get most of my food and beverage money every month.

The point is, the people who come to your store, have a choice to buy from you or someone else.  Super-serve them and keep them coming back.   Create a positive shopping experience for them and they will come back.  Make it a bad experience, and you may have lost them forever.

Advertising is the part of marketing that functions as the invitation to your company.  But advertising can’t fix problems that go on inside your company.

Last week I was meeting with someone who wanted to hire me to train his staff on how to upsell his customers in a manner that is not annoying, but instead is genuine.

Speaking of advertising, you really need to invite people to your store right now.  People are spending for themselves and for others.  They are overspending, maxing out credit cards this time of year.  While I don’t believe that is a good thing to do, I’m not their mom and they are grown ups right?

Advertising this time of year might be challenging if you haven’t planned ahead.

Using television ads means you need to get a fresh ad produced and that takes time and money. Also the television viewing is different this time of year due to the holiday specials on TV and combined with the changes in TV viewing habits, I recommend you stay away from TV unless you already have it planned out.

Print ads might be available in the daily newspaper, but with the dwindling number of readers, just say no.

Social Media including Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest might work, but you better have a professional managing it, or else you can waste time and money.

I offer some online advertising options through the Federated Digital Solutions division of my company, but again, it’s kind of late to plan for this Holi-daze season.  If you want to talk about it, let’s plan a campaign for the new year.

My suggestion is using radio advertising to capture customers right now for the Holi-daze season.

Within a couple of days, I can get your message in front of thousands of people right here in our city who are shopping.  WOWO radio continues to be one of the most listened to radio stations in Fort Wayne and it’s a hot time right now.  Our annual Penny Pitch drive is underway with money being raised for two local non-profits. Weekly events that you and your business can be associated with provide a feel-good connection.

I also can create room for advertising for a special event.  Earlier this month, I put together a radio advertising campaign for an event that was less than a week away.  I wrote the ads, we produced the campaign and in the 5 days leading up and including the sale days, over 50 ad invitations were heard by over 75,000 WOWO listeners.

If this is crunch time for you, let’s talk now.

Or if this is a slow time of the year for you because you are not part of the retail Holi-daze season, this is an excellent time to plan for the new year.  I can make time to help you with your planning, reach out and we’ll get started.

By the way, I have a couple of ideas for retailers that you can do right now for this Holi-daze season:

  1. This first one was inspired by Amazon.  I use Amazon to buy gifts for my relatives that are hundreds of miles away. I often spend a little extra to have Amazon gift wrap those presents. What if you offered to gift wrap purchases as an upsell to people who are in your store? Make it easy and just have a stock of gift bags and tissue paper, and charge them your cost plus an extra buck or two.  You can even partner up with a local charity and give the proceeds to them.
  2. This other idea also was inspired by something Amazon does not do. Sometimes I buy a gift ahead of time and I don’t want it to arrive before hand.  What if you offered a Santa’s Closet for people who want to buy presents now, but wait a few days or weeks to take them home?
  3. My last idea is something you need to start and continue forever.  Collect email addresses and text numbers and offer a program to customers who sign up to be notified of special events. Most major retailers do this and you should too.
The Answer To The Tree Falling In The Woods

The Answer To The Tree Falling In The Woods

by | Oct 1, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, ScLoHo's Fort Wayne, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

It’s still September as my fingers tap out these words.  They are words of Irony and a couple of Marketing lessons for you and me. First, I’ll share with you the full meaning of the title of this article and podcast, followed by a couple of examples and together we can be better with our advertising and marketing.

George Berkeley was an Irish philosopher who lived 300 years ago who is credited with asking the question,

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

The answer we know is yes, but when you apply this to the business world, and we might say no.

If you open your business but don’t tell anyone, do you really have a business?

If your business depends on having paying customers, but you do nothing to invite people to become your paying customers, how long will you have a business?

That’s the reason for my Tree Falling In The Woods title to this piece.

I have been consulting with several businesses that need to hire employees.  Business is good, but the unemployment numbers are making it tough to expand.  Seems like all the good employees are already working.

However, I know that good employees will change jobs and companies if there is enough of a reason to switch.   It happens a lot.  But here’s the problem that I keep seeing over and over again.  The companies that have openings are not letting people know about the openings.  Or they are doing a half-assed effort to let people know.  The advice I give them is to create a page on their website that lists openings first, then we can send out invitations to people inviting them to check it out.

Unless you do both of those things, you will fail.

Using the tree analogy…

First you have to have a tree, which in this case is a place online that lists job openings you want to fill.

Then you need to invite people to see the tree and make some noise about it, sort of like the sound of the tree falling.

Now here’s a couple of examples I have observed and I’m going to call out some of my friends.

First,  my friend Kevin Mullett.  Kevin has been organizing and running a monthly event in Fort Wayne for several years now, called the Social and Marketing Breakfast – Fort Wayne. This event has been going on 11 months out of 12 for quite awhile.  It’s almost always the last Tuesday morning of the month from 7:30 until 9am and is held at the same place 10 months each year.

The September event is planned for two days from right now.  Remember I am writing this a couple of weeks before you are seeing it or hearing it on the podcast.

As of noon on Sunday not one invitation has been sent.  Kevin uses Eventbrite and shares it online with Twitter and Facebook.

The topic for the September breakfast is Marketing Mistakes.  Kevin invited me to sit on the panel to field questions and I said yes.  Unfortunately, this event has multiple marketing mistakes itself.

The September event is number 81, so Kevin has been hosting these for over 7 years.  I used to be a regular, but not so much in the past couple of years.  Why?  Because I didn’t get the invitation in time.

I’ll do a follow up story on this event and believe me, I love Kevin like a brother, or else I would not call him out on this.

Here’s the lesson to learn for all of us if you have an event or series of events that you want people to attend: Invite.  Invite again.  Invite as many was as possible.  Send reminders.  Don’t stop.

Next on my list of real life examples is a restaurant in downtown Fort Wayne.  It was the darling of their many patrons for years.  The place was called Calhoun Street Soup, Salads and Spirits. The owner Donna and her team created something special out of nothing.  It even was nicknamed CS3 and had a back room for special events called the Tiger Room.  I’ve been there countless times, it was the place my wife and I would visit about 3 times a month on Saturday nights for dinner, it was that good.

However this summer, Donna lost her lease. The place shut down.  End of Story?  Not really.

Donna had been working on another place, a tea room with a different kind of vibe to it, right across the street from CS3.  Some of the staff joined her at the new place, some stayed behind because the old CS3 was going to be transformed into a new joint.

I visited the new place a few times.  They are open for business with a limited menu as they make some upgrades but they will have their grand opening as Welch’s Brew House in October, I’ve been told.

Right now, the place is dead.  No outside signage except one small sign on the sidewalk.

There was public outcry when the old CS3 was closing in August.  That would have been the prime time to let people know that a new name and menu was coming to let all of those regulars and semi-regulars know that all was not lost.

One of our favorite waitstaff is still there, that’s how I know some of this insider information, but the general public is generally clueless.

I feel sorry for the crew that is working at Welch’s right now.  With maybe 10% of the customers they had under the old name and ownership, it’s got to be hard to make a living.

So again, another lesson about invitations.  If you don’t invite people to your business, they won’t come. Welch’s missed some excellent opportunities to set the stage for their grand opening and in the meantime, all those old CS3 regulars, about 90% of them have changed their dining and drinking habits by finding a different place to eat and drink. Invite.  Invite again.  Invite as many was as possible.  Send reminders.  Don’t stop.

And the last lesson for today applies to me and the people who work directly in either sales, advertising or marketing.

It’s the same lesson: Invite.  Invite again.  Invite as many was as possible.  Send reminders.  Don’t stop. If you are like me and looking to connect with potential customers, you have to Invite.  Invite again.  Invite as many was as possible.  Send reminders.  Don’t stop.

As a member of the advertising sales team at WOWO radio, I have a whole toolbag of goodies we can use to help you on the radio and online.  Let this be your invitation to contact me.