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Main » 2014 » January » 17 » Information - The Art Giuseppe Zanotti Of Selling
7:42 AM Information - The Art Giuseppe Zanotti Of Selling |
| Information - The Art Of Selling Money may well make the world go round, but
facts, details and data oil the machine that beats at the heart of it. We
supposedly live in the age of information, yet many of us seem unable to use it
to its full, and allow ourselves to drift along on a sea of missed
opportunities. If we can take it for granted that you have a good product, it
should be a safe assumption that the single most powerful marketing tool at your
disposal is information - the simple truth. You're not selling a duff product,
trying to convince punters that underneath the rusty exterior lies a power beast
nor are you trying to sell ice to the Eskimos. You're trying to sell your
software to people who either need it, or could use it - to the point where
they're actually prepared to buy it. So how do we get them? With information
tools.Information ToolsAn information tool is any kind of device that you can
use to show yourself and/or your product. Like any other tool, its primary
purpose is to make life easier and more efficient. In our line of work, the most
commonly used is a signature file. Your signature file should be around four to
six lines of simple text, to be used at the end of every single email, letter,
report or newsgroup posting. No exceptions; in your business correspondence, to
your friends, family, everything and everyone.The text should contain all your
critical contact data - at the very least your full name, your company or
product, URL of your website, email address, and some sort of slogan or
catchphrase. If you have a work phone number, then make sure you include it.
Ensure that you also include the email address in the signature - having it
hidden away in the Reply-To part of the email client does little good if someone
prints out your letter, or even cuts and pastes the content into a new document
or file. Have it there for all to see. Have you ever clicked on a link in a
signature, just out of interest? You're not alone.The next tool is the stock
text. Chances are that you find yourself writing the same text time and time
again - the same phrases, features and pricing information. Write them out in
full, so that you have them there for use as needed. As well as saving you time
in the future, having them available will also ensure that you're sending out a
well-written version of the information, that includes all relevant details,
without forgetting a thing. Never rely on your memory alone. When you try and
describe your software at the end of a long, problem filled day, you won't do it
justice.The actual content of the descriptions is critical here. Make sure you
write the text in the first person - either I or we. There's nothing wrong with
referring to yourself as either of the two - but make sure you're consistent.
Make sure you also use positive phrasing, and keep it simple. Be as concise and
precise as possible; an exact number looks far better than vague-isms such as
loads, lots, many or heaps. If your writing skills aren't so good, get someone
to help. Chances are you're going to use these texts many times, so it's worth
getting the content just right.A newsletter is another useful information tool,
and can be a great way of keeping in touch with your customers or anyone else
who may interested in your product. They are fairly easy to setup and
administer, but pay attention to a few dos and don'ts. Make sure that you
include details of your own product - but don't let it be the main content of
the newsletter. If all you're sending is a long-winded advert, people will
unsubscribe quicker than you can whisper "lost sale". Again, content is king. If
you can provide some sort of tips or information that people either need or will
find useful, they'll want to receive your newsletter, but be careful not to
drive them away. If you send out a mailing every week, some are bound to get fed
up and unsubscribe. While you're at it, make sure it's easy for someone to
subscribe and unsubscribe; it's very bad form to make it difficult to do so.
Some sort of stock text explaining how to do this is a very good idea. Another
golden rule is to stick to pure, clean ASCII text. You may like HTML in your
mailings, but if the recipient's email client doesn't - they're gone. In brief,
useful is good; short and sweet is even better. And before you announce your new
mailing list, make sure that you have the time for it. You can end up looking
awfully silly when you close before issue one even comes out.Press releases are
probably the most well-known information tool of all Giuseppe Zanotti. I'm not going
to go into the what's and how's here - take a look through past ASPects issues,
and check out Al Harberg's tutorial at . Once you have your press release, use
it. Make it easily available on-site, and keep it updated when you have new
versions or changes. Long after your press release has been sent, you can still
be putting it to good use.Take Advantage Of Your FAQsFrequently Asked Questions
are another golden information opportunity; chances are that you've already read
over a fair number of these yourself, and it may even be one of the first things
you look for on a site. I know I do. Practically speaking, you can't throw every
bit of information you have on the front or main page of your website. It
doesn't look good, and will simply overwhelm most visitors. But when a person
goes to read your FAQ, they already know the basics, and want to know more. Feed
them.Use your FAQ wisely. Don't use it as a data dump, but do include the
questions you get asked the most. If you can, also make it downloadable, as a
PDF or HTML file. Make sure you also put your contact details at the end of the
document, something along the lines of "What do I do if I have more questions?"
. They've asked for the information, so don't be shy to give it them. I list my
email address, website URL, phone and fax numbers, mailing address and ICQ
number as standard. All have been used on numerous occasions.Many email clients
also allow some sort of auto responder to be setup - that can send out a stock
text when a certain address or specific subject is received. Better still, many
webhosts have this sort of feature.We supposedly live in an age of information
overload, where quality loses the battle to quantity on an ongoing basis. Don't
let your product become another casualty. Keep it short, keep it sharp, and use
it wherever and whenever you can. Think of every opportunity to write an email
or note as an opportunity to reach a customer; don't waste it. Be seen, be
sold.
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