What are reasons why exclusivity is valuable?

Paul’s Answer:

There are several key reasons why exclusivity is valuable.

First, because people naturally, for some reason or another, are drawn to things that they cannot have.  Tell your kid not to listen to rock music and they’re smuggling downloads onto their iPod and you’ll never know it.  Tell your daughter not to date that “thug” and she’ll go out of her way to see him away from you.

Tell me NOT to do something and all I can think about is DOING it!

Next, we all want to belong.  To be part of something bigger than ourselves.  When you add exclusivity into your marketing you limit the number of people who can be part of the club, which makes people want to get in sooner rather than later.

Finally, when it comes to high-end exclusivity, we want the transferred benefits that come with being part of the elite league.  Not everyone can afford a Rolls Royce, so if you have one, people will automatically assume you are of a higher social and financial status.

The desire to be seen that way will cause some people to go to extraordinary measures to get the object that they believe will transform other people’s perspective of them.

I highly recommend the book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating marketing art form.

Is “persuasion” evil?  Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

How do you introduce yourself to a company to get them to bite rather than say no thank you?

Paul’s Answer:

The first thing you need to do is to figure out what it is that they really want or what is frustrating them so that you can show them immediately that you understand their situation.  Next you need to…

…begin a process of disqualification instead of trying to fit them into a box.

The key here is to do your best to prove that they DO NOT fit in the box, that they do not want or need what you have to offer – so that you can move on to the next call as quickly as possible.

There’s not much point in spending all your time trying to educate, convince or otherwise persuade someone that they need what you have to offer… if they firmly believe that they don’t or that they can’t afford it.

If they’ve just purchased a new car, no amount of cajoling will get them to buy a car today, so it’s best to learn that as fast as possible and then move on.  You keep doing that until you’ve found someone who DOES need a car and also has the MEANS to afford it.  Now you’ve got a truly qualified lead.

Agree or disagree?  Let me know by posting a comment below!

Which type of advertising do you suggest I use instead of Facebook and Twitter for my business which is testing/validating & verifying medical software?

Paul’s Answer:

For this type of very specific niche market which requires a high degree of knowledge and specific experience, I’d suggest one of two approaches…

Approach #1: Direct mail with the call-to-action being some kind of lead capture device.  You want interested parties to effectively “put up their hand” and self-identify as someone who needs what you offer and who wants more information about it.

Need + want = a highly qualified client.

Then you can follow up with them with more information and how to order.

For example, you could mail a postcard that identified the primary challenges medical offices face by having invalid systems and then offer them a free report about the 3 ways that medical devices can lose their effectiveness… and the devastating impact invalid results can have on your patients.

Approach #2: Cold-calling companies you have identified as being potential prospects with a very tight script that aims to disqualify them as a potential lead.  I stress disqualify because you want to spend your time speaking only with people who are truly qualified – who both WANT and NEED what you offer.

Trying to fit people into a box or educate them by telephone as to why they need what you have on offer is a waste of everyone’s time and rarely leads to high closing ratios.

I hope one or both of these approaches work for you!

How can I quickly learn the new marketing communications forms like Twitter & Facebook?

Paul’s Answer

There are 2 basic ways to learn any new information and particularly communications forms.

The first is to purchase a book or training program from one of the people who are already successful at using the new communications methodology and are offering training (book, courses, etc) on how to emulate them.

One of the people I look to for Facebook & Twitter is Mari Smith.  She’s fun, engaging and is a real down-to-earth person.  She would be a great person to learn from.

The second is to find people who are currently serving the same (or similar) audience as you and whose approach to using this communications forms you like.  Then follow everything they do and try to deconstruct or “reverse engineer” their approach.

Why do they do what they do?   What effect does it have on you, the consumer?  How can you emulate that strategy in your own personal style and get similar results?

I hope this helps you succeed in the new world of online social communications!

Other than hiring sales reps or product representatives who charge a high commission or require hefty fees to represent my product, how can I get my product listed in retail stores?

Paul’s Answer

There are really 3 ways you can approach getting stores to list your products…

The first is to make the sales calls yourself and sell them on the idea of listing your product.  To do this (or any of the other strategies involved) you’ll want real-world market data about how well your product has sold in other, similar stores, or at the very least how well similar products are selling and why yours would make a better alternative.

A second option would be to send the store owner a sample of your product with a well-crafted sales letter, for their own personal use.  Of course, the sales letter accompanying the product would be meant to entice them to try the product for themselves and then contact you if they are happy to discuss arrangements for listing it in their store.

Finally, the third option would be to offer an initial consignment deal where there is no risk other than shelf space for the retailer.  In this instance, I’d suggest you offer less margin to the retailer for the consignment since you are taking the risk.  It also gives you more leverage when you later want them to pre-pay for the product – you can then offer them your regular “wholesale” rate (instead of the higher consignment rate) when they pay in advance.

Good luck!

If you’ve got a group of people who already think they know everything or who have expressed their lack of interest in what it is that you’re selling, how do you market to them effectively?

Paul’s Answer

The short and simple answer is: You don’t!

Since there are usually sooooo many people out there who actually DO want what you have to sell, start with them first.  There is little point in becoming a “marketing martyr” and sacrificing your time, energy and money trying to CONVINCE someone that they need what you sell.

It’s much better work at PERSUADING people who do need what you sell that you are, in fact, the best place for them to make their purchase.

You do this by understanding their base needs, fears and desires… and positioning your product or service as the most logical solution to help them achieve their emotional desire!

If you find yourself in the unenviable position of somehow having to market yourself to people who think they already know everything there is to know and have therefore made up their mind about your product, you’re going to have to work extra hard to ensure that you really understand what they desire and what their frustrations are so that you can effectively answer their objections with strong facts.

Providing testimonials from people who were once in the position of these “know it alls” is another good way to break down the objection barrier and at least get them to to listen.

Hope that helps!

If you only have 30 minutes per day to dedicate to marketing your business online, what are the top priorities a small business owner should be paying attention to?

Paul’s Answer

I Actually recommend you market much more than that, but if you’re on a time constraint, here is how I would approach it, specifically for online marketing….

Monday: Write an article based on keywords you KNOW are being searched by your potential customers – 300 – 500 words.  Then post to 3 – 5 (more if you can) article directories as well as your own blog.

Tuesday: Record yourself using a Flip Video or other simple video device reading the article – then post to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, Viddler.  Also post the video to your blog.

Wednesday: Strip the audio out of your video and post the audio to iTunes, your blog (using PodPress) and other podcasting services.

Thursday: Use the content to create 10 – 20 “”tweets”" and then schedule them (using TweetLater or other service) to go out over the course of the next 7 days automatically to your followers

Friday: Rewrite your article as a press release (if possible) and then post to several of the free press release services online for additional SEO benefits. If your article is not suitable for use in a press release format, instead go to LinkedIn and answer questions posted by your target audience that are related to the topic of this week’s article.