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![]() dno
> Yes this make sense and I totally agree, > however, > I started my selling career at 7 or 8 > selling flowers door-to-door. > Now, I've written about my > "mentor" who probably taught me as > much about selling as anyone...and how he > gave me books to read on selling. > The problem I had (or one of them) was this: > the flowers I was selling, I had picked for > FREE in a field behind most of the houses I > was selling to. > It was an old nursery that had been abandon > and gone to seed, I drove Dien by it looking > for the lone sentinel that still pops up > every Spring and serves as a reminder to > what once was, it is a daffodil. > So, how do you sell something people can get > for free if they WANTED them? > The first book I read at 8 was Elmer > Wheeler's "Tested Sentences". the > second was Elmer Leterman's "The SALE > begins when the customer says NO." > But I was able to sell FLOWERS to people who > really didn't WANT them, or else they would > have gone into the field and picked the > flowers themselves. > But maybe I was just too darn cute to > resist? > Maybe, a couple of years ago I took a > part-time Summer job selling FROZEN meat off > the back of a Pick-up truck. > Ever have one of THOSE guys knock on your > door? > HELLO, that was me. And I did it to test > myself, my selling skills, to see if I still > could walk the talk, because I try to > encouarge everyone to take at least one > selling job in their lives. > Preferably door-to-door. The list is fairly > impressive of people who have done this. > NOW, door to door is hardly TARGETED > marketing, and you rarely encounter people > who WANT what you are selling. > So here is where I disagree with the concept > somewhat. > It is my job as a marketer to MAKE them want > it. > Because maybe they didn't know it even > existed before I showed up. I met men who > make six figure incomes selling frozen > steaks from the back of a pick-up truck. Who > in their right mind would WANT this? Or even > BUY this? > That is what I thought as I started to sell > it. First thing I did was to buy a case > myself. Then I had a party, and cooked the > meat in the box. > First day on the job I sold 3 cases within > the first hour. To complete strangers. NONE > of whom wanted what I had to sell. > At 259 bucks a pop. That was over 750 > dollars in sales in the first hour, I > learned HOW some of these guys could make 60 > and 70 thousand dollars a year. > I didn't believe it at first. But after a > few days on the job, I could see how easy it > could be FOR THE RIGHT KIND OF PERSON. > In between the flowers of my youth and the > Pick-up Steak experiment...I have sold a lot > of stuff...door-to-door when I needed some > really quick bucks. > Stuff that no ONE wanted per se. Like the > DEFENDER OF WOMEN, or the Victory Miracle > Polishing Cloth...a couple of my bread and > butter winners. > Or when I sold businesses on Action Ads, > which were clocks placed in pizza shops and > dry cleaners, and the ads would rotate in a > neon lighted frame. > Or TVs, VCRs, Stereo Equipment...although > this is a different type of selling because > they come to you in a retail > environment...but DAK and Comstrad, and JS&A > did OK selling stuff people WANTED after > they were sold on it. > NOT told about it, but carefully crafted > SALES attempts to get you to WANT it. > NOW this I agreee with, and as I've written > about below, I too have done this. I think > my SQUARE ONE WORKSHOPS might fall into this > category. But I don't know yet. I havent' > really tried to SELL it either. > I agree here too, but experience has taught > me that MARKETS can be created. The > INNOVATOR takes the risks, then the rest of > the group follows safely on tested and > proven methodology... > for example, Ben Suarez used the COMIC > section, and ran full page ads, it was > unheard of at the time, there was no MARKET > there. > But, he built a huge winner from those ads, > and his company keeps chugging away to the > tune of 125+ million dollars a year. > Was there a MARKET for the Heraldry Name > idea that Gary Halbert came up with? > The "Nancy" Letter is one of the > greatest pieces of salesmanship in print > ever created. There was NO market with money > burning a hole in it's pocket, just waiting > for Sir Gary to ride in and take it. > The MARKET was created. By the product. And > more importantly by the SALESMANSHIP. > Innovators almost always inroduce product > before market. Steven Jobs had a market for > the PC? > There was no obvious market are > Which is my point and opinion, it is OK to > do that as long as you know that innovation > is the harder road, the least likely to > succeed, the one that requires the most > work, BUT, may also have the greater payoff. > In sales, the RISK/REWARD idea as shown on > the Pictogrigm of Finances holds true, just > as it does in investment worlds. > And here is where I agree, for the beginner, > or for the marketer who wants a "sure > thing", or as close as possible as you > can get to one. > Don't get me wrong, I've said the same thing > for a dozen years. MARKET FIRST, product > second. > But, I've seen the exceptions. In 1985 WHO > wanted a VCR? Product came first, then it > was up to people like me to SELL them. > Same with the CD player when it first > arrived? Who would buy that, although you > could argure there is always a MARKET for > music...so I'd have to conceed that point. > Now here is an AMEN to that statement. I > agree. > The PROBLEM that very few talk about is the > COMPETITION for a market. Take the whole > biz-op/money making market. Going to go > away? > Hardly. But is it harder to compete in? Jim > Straw, a man who has sold MILLIONS of > dollars of stuff via mailorder addressed > this on another forum recently, saying that > there is a LOT more choices for people, and > that thins the stew for the market. > Here's a market...Internet Marketing... > How many books and courses and web sites are > dedicated to this MARKET (1/2 the net, > right? HA!) > But a person can only read so much, learn so > much, spend so much money that it would be > in my opinion a harder market to > CONTINUOUSLY pump the money from. > And marketers like to and should go to the > well that gives them water. > But at some point the MARKET gets too thin > or saturated...until an INNOVATOR comes up > with a different way to market. > There is not a day that goes by that at > least ONE good idea shows up at a forum. > FREE for anyone who wants to run with it. > But that is also part of the problem, > getting people to DO. > Again, I agree, but also DISAGREE. I may not > know BEANS about astrology, but if I know > there is a hungry market in this case and I > have access to a person/company with > products of interest, here is where the JV > comes in handy. Most people don't regard a > JV as a marketing effort, but it most > definitely is. > If you like pink hats (no I > But, if you are an INNOVATOR, you create a > PINK hat, get Madonna in days gone by or > today Brittany Spears to wear a pink hat in > her next video...and write a hit song about > how cool pink hats are...you CREATE THE > MARKET... > Sound FAR OUT? > Well, I guess I could throw out Gary Dahl > and the PET ROCK for an example...any MARKET > there? > Totally created for the product. Yes there > was a gift market. Yes there was an > "unusual gift" market (and as an > aside, take note, Spencer Gifts is making a > comeback, do you have a crazy gift idea?) > AMEN again. Don't fall in love, test test > test. > But you can use other people's INTERESTS > same as you can use their talent, their > money or their time. Fall in love with what > you are doing. > Within the DOING, a part of that might be > marketing, might be product development, > might be innovation, might be acquistion of > a cash cow. > Just love the day and the processes of the > day. > The PROBLEM Richard is it is NOT simple. It > is NOT something everyone can do. Finding a > MARKET takes incredibly hard work. Finding > and testing a product is arduous. Marketing > is hardly as simple as AIDA. Although that > plays an important part in one of the sales > processes that take place. > The reason there are so many SCAM sites, and > the reason so many people start and quit > businesses every year is because it is NOT > simple or easy. > It is hard dang work. > This is an excellent way to do it. But it is > only one way. And you are an experienced > marketer with a lot of success. My thing is > this: skills of success are not easily > transferrable or even easily acquired. MOST > people who attempt to just use the AIDA > formula come in too far up the line, before > they know WHY they are even doing what they > are doing. > MOST people are not cut out to do the AIDA > formula either in person or by REMOTE MEANS. > It is my opinion that these are skills that > can be hired out, and free the Entrepreneur > to do other things. > Case in point, Rick Smith, the Net > Guerrilla, once he let the PROS do his > graphic, it was a catalyst to help him FOCUS > in on what he does best. So, as simple as a > graphic might be for some people, if it is > not the right one, then the AIDA formula > falls apart at the outset, because you may > have captured attention, but for the wrong > reasons. > but > NO you can never DRONE on long enough here, > we like DRONING, my picture is next to it in > the dictionary. > I appreciate your sharing your expertise > with us, you have done some remarkable > things, I for one am dying to know some of > those inside secrets, but alas, I don't have > the time to do it. Nor the want. You are > going to have sell me. > I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT, except > where I might have disagreed above. OK? > Gordon Alexander |
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