Mark your calendars for November 8th.

On November 8th I will be giving a presentation on Digital Marketing at the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce “Chamber Breakfast.”

The Business Breakfast starts at 7:30 with a half hour of networking. Then the presentation will be from 8-9.

During the talk, my goal is to cut through the clutter of digital marketing and show you a plan that will build your audience, make it easy as possible to reach out to people who are interested in your products, and make sales.

There are so many things that you CAN do online, but I promise not to overwhelm you with useless information. I want you to walk out with a plan that you can implement. And when you put it into action, you’ll be able to measure your results (with sales… not just likes).

See you on November 8th. If you’re not in town, I will be recording the presentation so you will be able to see it.

Have a great day!
Mandy

P.S. Today is the last day that I will be offering five emails for $350. Call me at 505-515-7001 or reply to this email to set things up.

This month, 10% of all of my project fees will go towards a scholarship fund for up and coming female direct response copywriters.

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Celebrating two years of nerdiness

Last month (just before my birthday) some of my friends had something to celebrate.

We called it our Nerd-aversary.

It was the second anniversary of the day we started our Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

No joke, we have been playing the same continuous D&D adventure with the same characters, and the same group of people.

You might be wondering how we could keep going, and not get bored.

First of all, we like playing D&D, we like each other, we get together every two weeks, and our group is constantly looking for trouble (and finding it).

Those same reasons can explain why people are eager to open and read well-written email newsletters.

1). “We like playing D&D”. Or in the case of an email newsletter, the people on your list are interested in the topic that you are writing about. You know that they are interested, because they signed up to be on the list.

2). “We like each other”. Part of the allure of an email newsletter is that your readers get to know you as a person. You become a likeable expert who personally gives information on that topic. If done right, people will look forward to hearing from you like they look forward to hearing from a friend.

3). “We get together every two weeks”. When you commit to doing something on a regular basis, it starts to become a routine that you get used to. Almost ritualistic. When you send your emails out on a regular schedule, people expect them and watch for them.

Many people foolishly believe that they shouldn’t send their emails too often, because they might annoy their readers. (It’s no coincidence that those people don’t make a lot of money with their emails). The other day I got an email out of the blue from someone I hadn’t heard from in over seven months… and now they wanted me to buy something. It didn’t come off as very friendly.

4). “Our group is constantly looking for trouble.” My favorite part of D&D is when we battle scary monsters. But did you know your readers are battling monsters every day?

Every problem, every worry, every stress they face is like a monster that needs to be taken down. If you talk about their problems, especially the big scary ones, they will want to open your emails.

multi sided dieTake care,
Mandy

 

P.S. If you want to get serious about writing emails on a regular basis to your list, call me at 505-515-7001 or reply to this email. After I have a short conversation with my clients, I’m usually able to write 3-5 emails for them.

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How well do you understand your customers?

Gordon Mitchell was also one of the five finalists for the NM PowerCircle Small Business Marketer of the Year award.

Gordon helps baby boomers get a steady stream of cash flow throughout their retirements with reverse mortgages.

He is very successful at what he does, and has implemented a lot of the direct response techniques that he has learned in PowerCircle.

For example, he has written a booklet that he gives away on his website. It’s called “Cashing in on the American Dream in Retirement,” and people can get it by entering their contact information on his website.

He also uses the book to get referrals at his seminars for real estate agents. Instead of simply handing out the book, he asks for people’s contact information (it’s really important to get these details if you want to sell to someone) and sends them as many copies as they want. This makes sense because the real estate agents that attend the class aren’t the ones getting a reverse mortgage. They are passing the information along to their clients who might need one.

Gordon has created a lot of strong marketing campaigns. But the underlying reason that it works is this: He understands how aware his customers are of his product.

Here’s the thing. Most people don’t understand what a reverse mortgage is, at all. And it’s even worse when they think they know what it is… because then they usually assume it’s some kind of a scam. It sounds too good to be true.

I’m always impressed that when faced with this level of ignorance and skepticism, Gordon never seems discouraged. He simply adjusts his message so that people will accept it.

He is never salesy. He focuses most of his energy on educating seniors and real estate agents on what a reverse mortgage is, and how they can use it to overcome their cash flow problems during retirement.

Rather than talk about the product right away, he enters the conversation that they are already having in their heads. It’s a very effective strategy.

Good work, Gordon!

Talk to you soon,
Mandy

P.S. Do you know what your best customers are thinking before they buy? Knowing this can help you reach out more effectively to more customers.

If you want more insight into your customers’ state of mind, I can help by interviewing them. You’ll get information you need to attract more customers, and a powerful case study or testimonial that you can use in your marketing materials.

Call me at 505-515-7001 to set this up.

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My side gig

For years I’ve felt like I should be doing more with my trumpet.

I love to play, and join local groups when I can. I teach lessons whenever a student shows interest. But I’m in a pretty isolated area and so if I want to grow my career (playing or teaching) I’ll have to do a lot more driving.

Meanwhile I’m constantly learning as much as I can about copywriting, email marketing, and info marketing. Is it possible to bring the two worlds together?

I had to try. Here is what I did.

Step 1. I created a bait piece.

When I made my bait piece I had to figure out what part of “Trumpet playing” that I am particularly good at and what part is especially troublesome to others.

How did I narrow it down? Here’s a quick story that explains it:

It was 1999 and I was auditioning to get accepted into the trumpet performance program at Lawrence University. I played the first movement of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat.

Even though I was completely focused on the task at hand, I could sense the professor leaning forward in his chair slightly when we got to a certain point in the music. I knew what he was thinking. Would she hit the high E-flat?

A lot of trumpet players will struggle to hit that note. They’ll frack it or chicken out and take it down an octave. His face broke out in a grin when I hit it with a clear and effortless sound. I knew at that moment that I made it in.

There are a lot of good trumpet players out there. But I know that one reason that I am successful (I got into college and raked in thousands of dollars in scholarships) is that I can play the high notes. And the reason that I can do that is that I have a secret routine.

I turned that routine into my bait piece. It offers a solution to a problem that trumpet players find very annoying and helps me put my best foot forward. I was able to put the whole routine on a one-page PDF.

Step 2: I created a landing page

My bait piece topic was so specific, so it made the landing page pretty easy to write. (See it here).

I just used a “Do you have this problem? Here’s the solution” style headline.

I put my landing page together using LeadPages. LeadPages made it easy to do because they have templates set up, you can upload your bait piece and they will automatically deliver it to people, and now they added a feature where you can sell products right from the lead page.

Click here to try Lead Pages.

Step 3: I emailed the people who signed up.

When people sign up, start emailing them with useful information and offers.

With my trumpet list, one of the first emails I wrote was a welcome email asking them what they are doing and what problems they were facing. One of my subscribers sent a long and detailed email about the challenges he is facing. That email (and any other piece of correspondence from people on the list) gives me ideas on what my subscribers want to read about.

So those are the three steps. Create a bait piece, put together a landing page, and email your list.

You can use those three steps to build a following for your own business. Call me if you need help with any of those steps.

Thanks in advance!
Mandy

P.S. If you have any kind of project, call me at 505-515-7001 or reply to this email to set things up.

This month, 10% of all of my project fees will go towards a scholarship fund for up and coming female direct response copywriters.

Join Our Mailing List!

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I’m one of the finalists for Small Business Marketer of the Year!

Earlier this summer I printed out all of my marketing materials and handed them in as my application for the PowerCircle Small Business Marketer of the Year award.

Yesterday I found out that I’m one of the four finalists, which means that today I will be presenting the whole shebang to the PowerCircle this morning.

Wish me luck!

This is what Ron Patel said about what is going to happen today: (from his email)

“Back by popular demand, the PowerCircle Small Business Marketer of the Year Contest is back! If you haven’t seen this contest before, you are in for a real treat. Several of PowerCircle’s most creative, innovative and successful members are going to be showcasing their marketing from this past year!

Register Now for PowerCircle on September 12th
On top of all of the great presentations, you will get to see a “Shark Tank” like experience with our 3 marketing star-studded judges! The judges for this contest are:

Wayne Story (former Host of PowerCircle)
Stacy Sacco (founder of Marcom and UNM Small Business Institute President)
David Wolf (Podcast & Radio Producer, Host of Small Biz America Radio)

I look forward to seeing you on September 12th from 11am-2pm (Special 3-hour event!) at the Holiday Inn & Suites at I-25 & Jefferson as we watch the contestants battle it out for the NM Small Business Marketer of the Year!!!”

***

Wish me luck!

Mandy

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The winner of the Small Business Marketer of the Year is…

Yesterday I was one of five finalists for the NM PowerCircle Small Business Marketer of the Year award.

My application was a binder full of my daily emails. I explained the rationale behind my marketing plan and discussed how I use the stories from my life to keep people engaged and make a sale.

But while I can say that it gives me a steady stream of work and I am probably going to make more money this year than I did last year… I couldn’t say this activity led to these sales.

Not like the winner.

Joseph Santangelo is the owner of Sunshine Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. This year he executed a brilliant plan that helped him find qualified leads, follow up with them and sell a dozen air conditioning units for $10-15,000 each.

He had a clear plan that resulted in sales.

But before I go into the funnel that he made, I want to talk about how he set his company apart from him competitors. As he explained in his presentation, when plumbers want to find an idea for how to promote themselves, they look around and see what other plumbers are doing. So what happens is they all end up copying each others terrible ideas, offering discounts, and creating a downward spiral race to the bottom.

Instead of comparing himself to other plumbers, he found ways to set himself apart from his competitors.

When they offer discounts, he did something different. He offered “the boldest guarantee”… and made sure that his guarantee was prominently displayed on all of his materials.

The guarantee takes different forms, depending on what people buy. But when people buy a heating and cooling system he had a “not a penny” guarantee that says that they won’t have to pay a penny on maintaining that system for 10 years. 10 years! His company will fix any problems that may arise.

Doesn’t that make you feel good about buying an air conditioner?

Another thing that he implemented this year was set up a “friends and family” membership. People pay a small monthly fee to be in this program. When they are in the program they get priority treatment, free maintenance on their systems and lots of other benefits. These are the people who are truly Sunshine customers, because when people pay to be in this program, they won’t go shopping around to the other companies when they need help. They will call him.

Finally, here is how he used direct response tactics to sell some expensive heating and cooling systems.

He started out by going where his potential customers were. He had a booth at a home and garden show. The people who attended this show were actively shopping for things for their homes.

Getting an easy yes

He made sure that his booth attracted attention. He had his big banner with the “boldest guarantee” promise. He had two air conditioners sitting in front of the booth. And he had lots of colorful balloons.

Whenever a family with children walked by he said, “Can I give your child a balloon?” Most normal adults say yes to that. Once they get the balloons they usually ask him what he does which gives him an easy, non pushy way to start the conversation.

His systems are very expensive. You can’t just walk up to a stranger and sell something like that cold. Rather than attempt to make the sale right away, he had an offer that was easy to say yes to.

He put together a free report, a consumers guide. When people started to look at his booth he asked them if they wanted to get the guide. 50 people said that they wanted the guide.

Most people make the mistake of just handing out the free information. But if he did that then he would be handing out his expensive books and he’d never hear from those people again.

Instead of handing them out, he told people that he would send the information. So they should give him their information (name, address, phone number and email address). He would mail them the book.

He followed up by mailing the books to all 50 leads. But he didn’t stop there. He had a system planned out with 12 different contacts over the next few months. He had phone calls, postcards, newsletters and other pieces of information.

Then, in June … just when the weather starts to get hot in Albuquerque, he sent a sales letter for the heating and cooling systems.

He sold 10.

Congratulations to Joseph! He did a great job creating a system that works.
I’ll be writing about the other presenters in the next few days.
Take care,
Mandy

P.S. I create a lot of the elements that went into his system. I write reports, booklets, newsletters, postcards and sales letters. If you need a system that will help you sell a big ticket item, give me a call at 505-515-7001.

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The most entertaining marketer of the year

On Tuesday I was one of five finalists for the NM PowerCircle Small Business Marketer of the Year

Tall Paul is a magician who made ads that people want to keep.

award.

The guy who went in front of me was the runner up for the award, but he really should have received an honorary award of “most entertaining presenter”.

“Tall Paul” opened his speech with a card trick, and jokes, which got our attention and let us know what he does (he’s a magician… and he’s really good!).
His website is right here.
Paul does magic shows for birthday parties. And he was explaining how he put off buying a new car so that he could re-do some of his branding to make it look more colorful and professional.
Before, he was using black print on colored paper. And it didn’t look that great. So he switched to making colorful brochures that he had professionally printed (and discovered that it was actually LESS expensive to print than his old uglier flyers).

Besides making his handouts more colorful, he made a packet that his customers will want to keep.

His brochure has a list of party throwing tips that moms will want to hold on to.

Every kid gets a packet with coloring pages, little magic tricks that they can do on their own, instructions on how to do other magic tricks, and little toys.

What he was doing was very smart. He mas making ads that were valuable so that people will want to keep them.
After showing us that package that he put together, and how he uses those packages to generate more business through referrals and repeat business, he asked us all to reach under our chairs.

When we did, we all found one of those packets to keep. It was such a surprise, almost like a magic trick.

Hats off to Tall Paul, for upping his marketing game and for keeping us amused all the way through his presentation.
I’ll have more stories from the awards tomorrow.
Take care,
MandyP.S. The best part about Tall Paul’s advertising was that he made something that people would want to keep. If you want to talk about how this can work in your business, sign up for a free 15 minute discussion.

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Pamm Meyers

Pamm Meyers was the fourth finalist for the PowerCircle NM Small Business Marketer of the Year award.

Pamm Meyers

Pamm is a social media consultant and event planner. ( Take a look at her website) A lot of companies know they can get more business if they post more and get more engagement online… the only problem is that it’s hard to make time to post as often as you need to. That’s where Pamm comes in. She writes the posts for her clients, so their accounts stay active and her clients stay visible.

Her presentation included a fun video set to music where she showed photos of success events that she has thrown, and testimonials from her customers with statistics about how much she has increased the engagement on their social media accounts.
The numbers were very impressive. Pamm is the master of squeezing as much value from each social media platform as possible and maximizing engagement.
From her presentation, the biggest thing that she did to promote her own business was use the same social media strategies that she uses for her clients.

Two other things that she did over the past year that are worth mentioning.

The first thing is that she is a very effective networker. She spends a lot of time each month going to events where she will find her ideal client. She has a fun, quirky and vivacious personality and when you meet her in person you can instantly understand how she can help attract an audience to your business.

The second thing is that she knows who her ideal client is. Rather than struggle with clients that are a bad fit, she finds clients who will resonate with her personality and energy. I don’t know how she does that… instincts, I’d say.

Great work, Pamm! It’s fun watching your business take off.

Talk to you soon,
MandyP.S. My favorite part of participating in this marketing contest is being able to see what other people are doing right. I enjoy writing about business owners use the best practices and get results.If your business is doing something right, you deserve to be recognized for it. I can write a “best practices” article that you can use to promote your business. Call me at 505-515-7001 to set this up.

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Thank you, Titanides!

Sometimes, when you need it the most, you get the support and encouragement that you need.

The Titanides photo from 2016. What a fun group!

I want to thank the women in the Titanides for giving me a scholarship to attend the Titanides Live 2017 event.

Let me fill you in about this secret female society…

The world of direct response copywriting is without question, very male dominated. And yet, the women in the industry are the most brilliant, supportive and inspiring people I know.

Marcella Allison, an amazing copywriter who I have looked up to since the days when I was just getting started, formed this group of women several years ago when they were attending another event, The Titans of Direct Response.

Looking around, it was clear that only a small percentage of the attendees were women. So Marcella invited them all to a dinner where they all got to know each other and have since formed this circle of support.

I couldn’t be more excited to go to Titanides Live. The speakers will include Marcella, Abbey Woodcock, Annie Hyman Pratt, Ilise Benum, Monica Day, Mary Kincaid, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Pauline Longdon, and Carline and Tiara Cole.

While I am extremely grateful for the financial support they have offered me, I am even more appreciative of the culture of paying it forward and giving back embodied by the Titanides.

It motivates me to give back… even seconds after I am on the receiving end.

When I was filling out the scholarship application, I was struck by one of the questions. “How will you pay it forward?”

Even though I was asking for help (because I didn’t have the money to get a ticket) I should be starting to think about helping others.

And I am. I may have had a slump of a summer, but I just need a couple of assignments to get things on track again. I am full of hope for the future, and ready for the business breakthroughs that are just around the corner.

That is why, from now until the event on October 17th, I will set aside 10% of all of my project fees and use that money to help another woman in my industry by contributing it to the scholarship fund.

If you have a project, call me at 505-515-7001 to set things up. I will thank you twice because you be helping me get a head start paying it forward.

Thanks in advance!
Mandy

P.S. Thanks again, Titanides, for the much needed support. I’m excited to go and I hope to take someone else with me.

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Are you making it harder for your customers to buy?

If you’re NOT making it easy for customers to purchase from you, then you’re leaving money on the table.

I want to help you fix that with Leadpages’ latest new feature, called Checkouts.

Find out how Checkouts can boost your conversions.

Leadpages just introduced this new Checkouts feature for their Pro and Advanced members.

It lets you accept payments right on your landing pages-and even deliver your digital products right from inside Leadpages.

That means no third-party payment page. No shopping cart software. No ecommerce platform.

Checkouts gives you the fastest, simplest way to process payments without making your customer jump through hoops.

So you’ve got a choice.

You can keep processing payments in multiple steps (and hoping you don’t lose sales along the way).

Or you can simplify the process with Checkouts and start making more sales now.

Why put off success?

Go here to read all about them.

And then get started.

Mandy

P.S. Again, full disclosure I am a Leadpages affiliate. But I’m also a Leadpages member. I use them for all my landing pages and if you do too, you know why they’re the #1 landing page builder on the market today. Now see their latest breakthrough in landing pages that convert.

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