Creative Marketing Wins Skeptics

August 13, 2017 by Ann Barr

Kathryn is a tenured professor at a university in Maryland.

She is a runner, a talented writer and a lover of dogs and Yoga.

(This is not actually a photo of Kathryn, but it IS a Yoga pose.)

Kathryn wants to bring Yoga to everybody, especially to people who believe they are not the “Yoga type.”

To draw more folks to her Sunday Yoga classes, she spreads the word through friends, neighbors, students and email.

Her email is a creative attention getter.

“I am again leading Good Karma Yoga on Sunday, 4 pm, for EVERYBODY!

“We especially welcome skeptics, doubters, newbies, anxious people, un-flexible people, not-stretchy people, old people, broke people, broke-down people, thick people, intimidated people.

“We have mats and everything you need.

“We ask a donation of $5, more if you can afford to share.

“All money goes to yoga for those who cannot afford to access yoga.

“Good for you; good for others; good karma.

“Bring your kids for the Good Karma Yoga if they are over 11.

“I promise you will be glad you did.

“Wear comfortable clothes.

“Every Sunday at 4 pm.”

SUCCESS

Kathryn’s first Yoga class – after spreading the word – was filled with 40 new Yoga students
PS – Update: the “skeptics” who were part of Kathryn’s first Good Karma Yoga class have been back Sunday after Sunday.

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a day with good Karma!

– Ann

Wonder Why No One Returns Your Phone Calls?

April 16, 2017 by Ann Barr

This is frustrating.

The client is already doing business with you. You feel you have a good relationship . . .

. . . yet your voicemail messages go unanswered. You do not get return calls.

Is that rude – or just the way business has changed in this fast-moving technological landscape?

My clients tell me they often get an email in response to their voice mail message.

But why not a return call?

Could be one of four reasons:

1.) The client is crazy busy with numerous projects.
or
2.) They are afraid a phone call will take up too much of their precious time.
or
3.) Your voice mail message is not giving the client an important enough reason to return your call.
or
4.) They feel email is more convenient that returning a phone call.

Three tips to get your calls returned:

Know what you want as a result of your voicemail message, in addition to a return phone call.
Organize your message so that you state the most important and attention-getting information first, since you may be cut off at any time.
Don’t leave a message lasting more than 30 seconds because most of us have very short attention spans.

A recent survey by ExactTarget.com was revealing.

From MarketingLand.com:

“ExactTarget asked almost 1,500 US online consumers (age 15 and up) about how they prefer to get permission-based marketing messages and a whopping 77 percent said email — a number that dwarfs all other options in the survey.”

You may not consider your voicemail messages to be marketing messages, yet this survey is still relevant as it applies to communicating with clients using a method they prefer.

But don’t stop using the telephone!

A telephone call and a good voicemail message still work and in my opinion have great value, even though you may not always get a call back.

You will get more calls returned when you use the tips and ideas in this e-book.

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a fantastic day!

– Ann

Best Subject Line I’ve Seen and it Might Work for You

July 27, 2016 by Ann Barr

attention-grabbing-sign For your email to NOT be immediately deleted, your subject line needs to get attention or curiosity.

Yesterday an interesting message came to me because I’m a customer of Vital Choice Seafood. They send emails once a week and I don’t usually read them unless there is something I want to order.

Emailing to customers can be challenging if you don’t want them to think:

“Oh, it’s her again. I don’t need to read this.”

But the subject line was so compelling I had to open and read the email.

This was the subject line:

“Preferred Customer Alert“

Wow! That immediately grabbed my attention because of the two specific positive power words:

“Preferred” and “Alert.”

Now – for the first time You can get the 4 week One-to-One Coaching & Sales Training Course at less than half the tuition cost when you sign up before Friday at noon. Instead of $597 for the 4 week course, your one-time tuition is just $249, You can sign up and make payment here.

During this private one-to-one coaching I will work with you, personally, to provide positive motivation plus new marketing ideas and wording that can convince prospects to WANT to become your raving fans and paying customers.

Because I work directly with you personally, class size is limited to 10 and there are just three spaces still available.

Send me an email: annbarr@annbarr.com if you would like more info about the course or sign up and make payment here.

.Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a beautiful day!

Ann
P.S.: Use this link to sign up and make payment: PayPal.me/CoachingVA Beach

7 Words That Won the Sale by Email

August 24, 2015 by Ann Barr

typing-hands-keyboard This is what happened:

The grass was growing taller in my front yard.

The weeds were everywhere.

Not a pretty sight.

Then the rain started falling . . . softly at first with a soothing pitter-patter sound against the windows, but soon turned into a very loud thunderstorm that frightened my cat Zoey.

The rainstorm cooled the temperature down, which was a relief after five straight sweltering days of 90 degree hot and humid weather.

But the cooling rain resulted in taller grass and more weeds.

My lawn looked worse than ever.

Most of my neighbors cut their own grass, but I don’t own a lawn mower. . . and don’t want to.

And that’s not all.

The person who cut the grass and took care of my lawn for 10 years had moved to another state.

I searched the Internet for a local lawn maintenance service and found Thumbtack.com with the headline: “A local pro for every project.”

Sounded good, so might as well give it a try.

I filled in the form with my name, email address, plus the service I was looking for and then submitted the information.

Within an hour, four bids from local lawn care services arrived by email.

All were pretty much alike with services I needed and references, plus prices.

There were good “before and after” photos of pretty green grass and colorful flowers.

Hmm . . . how to decide?

But the decision became easier because . . .

. . . one email stood out from the others with words that grabbed my attention.

I obviously had a need, and these seven words in one email jumped out:

“We can do it anytime on Thursday.”

Great! We exchanged emails and a phone call. I hired them.

Funny thing about words in emails.

Emails can be creative.

They can help or hurt or just be boring.

The words in emails can lose a sale or win a sale.

This email definitely won the sale with 7 important words: “We can do it anytime on Thursday.”

The price for this service was higher than what I had been paying for 10 years 🙁

But I needed to have my grass cut – soon – and this company said they could fill the need.

They did the job very well. They have a new client.

Are you looking to send persuasive marketing emails to prospects and customers?

You can get a sales-building e-book with 63 time-saving pre-written copy and paste business + marketing letters and emails on this page.

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a safe and healthy day!

Ann

The Word I Have Never Forgotten

March 16, 2015 by Ann Barr

WordsThatMatter_banner_blue-med A few years ago (more than a few years . . . actually more like a few decades+ ago) . . . on a beautiful sunny morning in early May, three of my high school classmates and I did something we should not have done.

We played hooky – skipped school. For the first time ever.

(The word I have never forgotten was spoken – later that day – by the principal of our school. A person I admired.)

It happened this way:

We were all seniors in high school.

Our classmate “Cookie” picked us up at home in the morning in her shiny new convertible, to drive us to school.

After a long, cold, snowy winter in Northern Virginia, this balmy day in May felt wonderful.

Why we thought we could get away with skipping school and that no one would notice, is a mystery. . .

. . . because we attended a small private Catholic high school taught by nuns. . . Sisters of the Holy Cross who wore those old-fashioned habits and could be very intimidating.

There were only 44 students in our senior class . . . and we thought we wouldn’t be missed?

One of our classmates (it may have been me) laughingly said “instead of going to school today, let’s drive to Glen Echo Park!”

Everyone agreed.

We were naïve.

We felt adventurous and joyful.

We drove to Glen Echo Park and had a great time.

Later that afternoon we decided to return to school, feeling guilty and realizing our parents would be worried if notified by the school.

We were in trouble. Of course.

When it was my turn to face the principal – one to one – she said something that made me realize we had done something inconsiderate and thoughtless.

Sister Benjamin looked at me and said, softly: “Ann, I am disappointed in you.”

Wow. That was the worst (or best) word she could have used.

“Disappointed” is the word I have never forgotten.

I felt terrible when Sister Benjamin said this and I regretted what we had done.

Years later, the memory of that experience came back to me and the word “disappointed” stayed in my mind.

I realized the importance of words and how specific words can have a powerful effect.

This is why businesses hire me to write, ghost-write and edit important letters and emails.

Because . . .

. . . there are some words people love to hear

but . . .

. . . there are also wishy-washy words never to say

and . . .

. . . specific words to avoid

plus . . .

. . . when you use these 4 words your clients will love you.

Wondering what words to use when you connect with clients?

I can help you.

Whether it is creating a flyer or writing an email or phoning a prospect or leaving a voice mail message, I can help you.

All of this is included in my e-Course.

Send me an email or use the Contact page and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

I would love to work with you!

Thanks for reading and being part of my Internet world.

–Ann

PS: If you would like to subscribe to my weekly-ish e-newsletters, please sign up on this page.

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