The first article in this series about using the effective sales technique of StorySelling defined what StoryTelling actually is and what makes StorySelling more effective in your customer and prospect marketing communications. This article will deal with why StorySelling is such a critical driver in closing sales today and why you should be testing it sooner rather than later.

According to author and researcher George Bane, “Two decades ago, the average child under 18 spent about 15 to 20 hours per week digesting media content. Today, it has nearly tripled to almost 60 hours per week of unduplicated time. They now devote more time to media than to anything other than sleep.”

And, it’s not much better for those older. When I was growing up in the 1960’s and early 1970’s as a child, we had 3 TV stations and PBS. I can still recall when our first UHF station was added. Wow, was I ecstatic that I had another choice. Today, we have hundreds of TV channels, radio stations, satellite radio stations, newspapers and of course the internet. That’s added as much content and options we can digest, including YouTube, Twitter, Hulu, and on and on…

With increased media exposure and an inundation of advertised media messages, it’s getting harder and harder to “cut through the clutter” and make your marketing message(s) meaningful, even if they are relevant. While the number of impressions we are exposed to daily is cause for debate, it’s safe to say that the number is off the chart compared to only five or ten years ago. Therein lies the dilemma.

Through StoryTelling techniques companies can effectively distinguish themselves from competitors, and provide reasons to the prospect as to why their product or service is superior and why they should try it. The problem with most StoryTelling is that it does not nudge the recipient to a call-to-action. It should. Then, it becomes StorySelling.

Author Mary van de Wiel explains the power of StoryTelling in your communication efforts and how you and your company can benefit from it. She asks Why is storytelling so important to your business? Because:

• An authentic brand story makes you memorable.
• It differentiates you as desirable.
• It brings your brand to life.
• It gives you a distinct competitive advantage.
• Your target market becomes hugely responsive.
• It positions you as a visionary in your field.

Testimonials, when done right help your StroySelling efforts as they add credibility to your messaging. StorySelling makes you more successful because people remember it. In this fast-paced, uber-fragmented world we live in, it helps make an emotional connection to your brand and helps lodge your product or service in the recipient’s memory bank a little bit longer and gets them to WANT to take action sooner rather than later or never.

You need to be testing different StorySelling messages in your marketing and sales communications because they will help set you apart, make you more memorable and get your prospects to do what great advertising and marketing is intended to do – take action and do so now.

The amount of media exposure and advertising messages we are exposed to is not decreasing anytime soon. Thus, test this method to jump start your marketing efforts. As we become over exposed to all things media, we CRAVE simplicity. StorySelling does exactly that. It plays off of simplicity and makes your message more prominent and effective.

Once upon a time there was this marketer who wrote a few articles on StorySelling. He wrote about what it is and why it is needed. Then, in the final article, he described how it is being done profitably in this day and age. The “how to” article will be the last in his series on how StorySelling is an effective sales closing technique. Please look for it. In the meantime, visit www.johnsondirect.com to discover even more timely marketing tips and stories.

Sincerely,

Grant Johnson
Founder, Johnson Direct
grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com

Does the name Dick Fosbury sound familiar?

If you are a sports fan, a tad bit older and follow the Olympics, his name will be instantly recognizable. If not, here’s the background: Prior to Mr. Fosbury, most elite high-jumpers used the Straddle technique, Western Roll, Eastern cut-off or even Scissors-Jump to clear the bar. Everyone did the high jump the same way; they ran to the bar and rolled over the bar, face forward. Not Dick. He ran full steam ahead, contorted his body, turned and jumped backward at the bar just prior to take off, arching his back and lifting his legs over him. Everyone laughed. Until he broke all the records. He won the gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympicsusing his technique.

Everyone was doing the high jump the perceived correct way; but Dick Fosbury and his “Fosbury Flop” showed everyone the right way to do it. The moral: the popular way is not necessarily the correct way. Every high-jumper today uses the “Fosbury Flop.”

It’s the same with StoryTelling. Lots of folks do it, but they could be doing it better by changing to StorySelling. This applies both to firms that use it and to any full service marketing agency that is hired to implement it on behalf of their clients.

This is the first of a three (3) part series on StorySelling: What, Why and How to do it correctly. When used properly, it’s an effective sales closing technique that will aid in soft selling your prospects. This first article will deal with WHAT StorySelling is and what makes it different from regular StoryTelling.

“StorySelling,” as I call it, is the art of telling an emotional and compelling story, regardless of medium, to effectively convey a call to action that sells a product or service, or gains a donation from the recipient.

A good story is something the recipient can read easily, relates with and which effectively touches that something inside of them but does not often urge them to take action. The key to your success is to go beyond the story and to think about your call to action, from the prospective audience(s) vantage point. It’s really more about gentle persuasion than overt selling when done correctly. That makes StoryTelling, StorySelling.

Here are some great StoryTellers:

• Music: Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Chapin, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan
• Books: John Grisham, Shel Silverstein, James Patterson, Steven King
• Movies: James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone
• Plays: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Neil Simon

All great indeed but not StorySellers, any of them. If you look at Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, most seasoned politicians and legendary pitchmen, you’ll discover it.

It’s what made Billy Mays rich and Oxy Clean famous.

StorySelling is similar to full circle branding in that the story ends with a meaningful conclusion; in the case of measurable marketing a call to action to purchase or give. When done correctly both the advertiser and the responder win because ultimately they feel good, oftentimes excited about the action they just took. When done well, they go on to tell friends and they do the additional StorySelling for you.

Remember: People hate to be sold, but those same people love to buy, give or lend a hand. Great StorySelling then gives reasons for the recipient to take action. It incorporates purchasing options. In order to get to the call to action, it’s best to explain how the product or donation will help them or those who receive it. You need to lead with emotion and justify with logic. It’s the logic that takes the emotional StoryTelling to the next level of StorySelling.

Simply spend some time analyzing great infomercials and you’ll see what great StorySelling is about. Or, read ads from Oreck, Harry & David or Bose. They understand StorySelling. And, they are very successful.

We work with an important non-profit agency in southeastern Wisconsin that provides multiple social services to a wide variety of people. When we first became partners in direct mail campaigns with them, they were spending $25,000 per year on direct mail, and receiving about the same amount in return. Not-with-standing the potential lifetime value of the donors who made the gifts, this is still not the kind of return an agency executive wants to see.

We have been working with them for eight years now, and each of the direct mail pieces we have done for them has focused on an emotional, factual story of one element of their program. Of course, we have done considerable work in finding the right lists to target.

In those eight years, they have increased their annual direct mail expenditure to about $185,000 … with an annual return of more than $1 million! Now that’s a return a non-profit exec can get behind! That’s the power of StorySelling.

In the next article we’ll cover the reason WHY you need to be StorySelling today, right now.

Sincerely,

Grant Johnson
Founder, Johnson Direct
grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com

This afternoon I was working with @denisebhearden on compiling results from a recent social media campaign we did on behalf of one of our long-standing clients when I noticed a link from a blog post in 2008 floating around the “twittersphere”. The article, originally posted on Ad Week in 2008, described how a TNS Media Intelligence/Cymphony poll showed that “agencies don’t get it”. Among the chief complaints was the agency treatment of outlets like blogs and social networks as traditional media. I hope that since social media has come such a long way in the past couple of years more agencies have come around to understanding the dynamics and power of social media. Has yours?

Johnson Direct has. We’ve produced measurable results over multiple channels for our clients, and that includes social media. If your in house team or agency is still struggling to define social media ROI , then it’s time to take control and realize that you are already behind. Playing catch-up with your competition is never an easy task and it’s about time to start looking into ways to increase your market share and in turn improve your bottom line. Johnson Direct has helped both B2B and B2C clients navigate the murky waters and make sense of social media so you can focus your resources on things that matter most to you: building and maintaining a dominant presence in your industry. After all, isn’t that why you hired an ad agency in the first place?

Anthony Piwarun
eMarketing
anthony.piwarun@johnsondirect.com

I recently was shopping for a research subscription and contacted a couple of industry leaders for a price quote. In both cases, membership levels and prices were not available in print or online. I had to provide my name and contact information and wait for a sales representative to contact me. A week later and I’ve only heard from one of the research providers. I’m sharing with you the shocking experience I had today with the more popular research company.

On January 15, I submitted my “urgent request” to hear from a new business developer via phone AND web/email. I waited six business days to before I received a phone call.

During this call, the rep asked some questions and explained the options. I expressed interest in the basic membership level and he offered to put me in touch with a senior-level rep who could talk to me about discounts and negotiated subscription rates. I was contacted by rep #2 later that same day. After hearing a typical sales pitch, and nothing I hadn’t heard from rep #1 that morning, I told him that I’m interested in the basic membership and ask him if there are discounts or variations of which I should be aware.

Rep #2 quickly announced that his company does not sell the basic membership without the mid-level membership (more than double the basic level price). Of course, I’m at a loss as to what the basic level membership is for, since the mid-level membership already includes the basic level benefits. I announced to rep #2 that I am surprised regarding this major discrepancy in membership options and frustrated by the fact that we had to wait a week to hear from a sales person that could provide pricing. Rep #2 chose not to explain my options further or to soften the blow. Instead, with an obligatory tone, he apologized for the misunderstanding and concluded the call immediately.

I sat for moment, mouth agape, bewildered by this brief sales call. It left me feeling bitter because at Johnson Direct, we fight very hard to retain our current clients and win new clients. Our philosophy is to go “above and beyond” whenever possible. Day in and day out, everything we do is aimed at supporting our clients AND prospects. After all, a prospect seeking a new marketing partner may not sign-on as a client today, BUT you never know when your paths may cross again in the future. Leaving them satisfied short-term may reap benefits long-term.

I can’t believe that a large, well-known company can afford to perform new business activities in this manner. If I’m treated like this before the contract is even signed, how can I expect my needs will be met responsively and respectfully as a paying customer?

Sound familiar? I hope not! But, if you’ve had an unfortunate experience in any way similar to this, share it with me!

Denise B. Hearden
eMarketing Director
denise.hearden@johnsondirect.com

Kids and great copywriters have something in common: they both understand the power of clear and simple communication. Getting their point across loud and clear is a definite skill that kids possess when they want something “right now!” For a more effective message, apply some of these same principles to your next marketing campaign.

I recall a family vacation in Florida where I listened as my two eldest children were bickering. My oldest child, Morgan, kept telling my second oldest, Mason, “Stop copying everything I say!” (You know how kids play this “game” to annoy each other.)

Mason chimed back, “Stop mimicking everything I say.”

Morgan responded back, “Huh, mimicking is not the same as copying.”

I interrupted, “Yes, in this case it is.”

Upon which Mason said, “See Morgan, it IS the same. ‘Mimicking’ is just an adult word that they say instead of ‘copying.’”

Selecting Just the Right Words
Which brings me to the subject at hand, the power of words, specifically, the right words and how they can profoundly impact your marketing success.

For instance, there is a big difference in the following phrases:

Learn how to become wealthy beyond your dreams.

Or…

Discover how to become wealthy beyond your dreams.

Learning implies work and a degree of difficulty. To discover is to come upon something by accident, to be lucky, and implies ease and no work at all.

And that’s just a single word. Great communicators understand and know that even changing one word can strengthen your prose dramatically, and have a positive impact on results. They understand the power of compelling, benefit driven headlines and how to craft copy that stops you and gets you to read on and—more importantly—respond and act quickly. This is especially critical with e-communications where attention spans are short at best.

A great writer understands that today, more than ever, you sell the offer, not the product or service while simultaneously building credibility and asking for the order. They understand that their job is to sell and understand the psychology of human behavior.

Consider the following headlines:

Protect your family for $25 yearly.
(This is not a mistake, read on to find out how.)

Or…

Protect your family for $25 yearly.

While both are compelling, the first headline addresses the question in our prospects mind “This sounds too good to be true,” eliminating doubt and reinforcing that it is indeed true, establishing credibility and subconsciously getting the reader to read on further for more information.

More readers will want to know “how can I protect my family for such a small amount of money.” In this case, adding a simple phrase makes a big difference. A logolept (word maniac) knows the power of clear and simple communication.

They do not tire of words like “free”, “new”, “now” or “you.” They wield this clout in each piece of mail they write to grab new leads…every site they help build to get hits on the Web…each ad they send to pull in new sales. Read these words over, and you should know what we mean when we say that they like to put their skill to the test.

In fact, the paragraph you just read is created from single syllable words. (Is that cool or what?). Clear communication should not be complex.

They know and understand that we need to tell the prospects/customers what to do:

Respond by June 13th
by completing the enclosed reply card
or dialing, toll-free, 1-800-YOU-RULE
to receive your 10% discount.

Professional communicators also know the power of testing and analyzing results. Make no mistake, you can be a great writer, but that does not make you a great direct response writer. And today, those who can get results are in even higher demand. By combining the right offer, with the right words, adding some psychological principles, and understanding selling and the sales process, you can help your clients and companies succeed.

So, the next time you’re out and about town, listen to the kids as they talk to each other.

We’d be wise to copy – that is, mimic the way they interact from time to time.

You can read the full article by clicking here.

The Grand Effie award goes to Burger King for its “Whopper Freakout” Ad done by CP+B.

Here’s the release.

Ahem, Burger King sales are down! Yet, they win THE award. I always thought that your advertising/marketing was supposed to bring in MORE sales. Silly me. I’m so old school.

For any readers out there who have, say $5, $10 $50 million they need to spend…give me a call. I’m sure we could rent a logo-laden helicopter and drop lots of money over wealthy sub-divisions. Imagine the press we would garner. And, all the awards we would win!

Better yet, I’d only prefer calls/contact from those who want to implement real, measurable marketing and watch their sales soar.

Grant A. Johnson

(As seen in this week’s E-centric enewsletter) It seems as e-communication evolves and proliferates, becoming more accessible and sophisticated, often marketers react by making their messages more comprehensive and thus complex. Instead, we should look at the growing landscape and plethora of e-media options as an opportunity to get back to the basics.

It’s imperative marketers recognize that customers and prospects get inundated with thousands and thousands of marketing messages each and every day. As such, our brains shift into overload mode and tune out the vast majority of these communications. Customers and prospects are all skeptical because of the sheer volume of marketing to which they are exposed.

So, where do you begin your travels back to the land of the basics? You start by making your messaging more about your audiences (less complicated) and more testable. READ ARTICLE  (by Grant A. Johnson)

A friend asked a good question that is very pertinent in today’s economy: “How do you position your marketing in a recession?” I have some opinions, based upon real world experiences that might be helpful.

Make sure you focus on customer service and retention FIRST. To create raving fans you need to prove that you care about your customers. If you do that, when you go to them and ask for additional business, referrals and testimonials, they will be more than happy to help. I would say that far too many companies, even in this economy, assume that their customers will stick with them. Don’t assume. Actions speak volumes over words.

Do something unexpected for your best customers. Send them a card, coupon or email. Better yet, pick up the handset in the box with the buttons and call to simply say “thanks.” You’ll likely be surprised by the reaction. They will be stunned. Sell Value and Change Positioning

People are looking for deals. How you position them will have a major impact on results. You need to sell VALUE to succeed in these tough times, so do it. *With increased economic pressure comes anxiety. Understand this. Doing so means relying less on emotional creative approaches and more on logical, rational creative executions. Use more numbers, facts, data and the like to appeal to the left brain with your marketing. Watch what happens to results.

Finally, test, test and test some more. It will get you to relevancy faster than anything else. If you read this blog on a semi-regular basis you are likely sick of hearing this. But now is when you can truly gain market share, goodwill and sales. It’s no mistake that two of the companies who are doing well now test a ton: Amazon and Netflix. This should be a lesson to all who think that testing is too expensive, don’t have the time or think that their marketing is doing fine without it. My experience helping companies market through several recessions prove that these tips work. Give me a call at 1-800-710-2750 and let’s talk and see if I can help.

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

3/2/09

Happy Monday to you!

Yesterday, March 1st, 2009, Johnson Direct turned 10-years-old. We could not have achieved this milestone without great clients like you. So, thank you!

Back on March 1st, 1999 my dream was to build a multi/cross-channel marketing communications agency that focused on results. Real, honest-to-goodness marketing that is measurable, testable and helps boost your bottom-line.

Thank you for allowing us to help you reach your goals and for turning my dream into a reality. If you were to ask me 10 years ago if I would have the privilege of working with clients like you, General Mills, Gardner Bender, Microsoft, ABB, Johnson Controls, Reader’s Digest, Harley-Davidson, GE Healthcare and GE Financial, AAA Life, Humana, several Blue Cross plans, Omaha Steaks, LSS, Super Products and many, many others, I would have likely answered that I was interested in working with good people who need great results. I am truly humbled by the clients and friendships we have established in the past 10 years.

A funny thing does happen when you really partner with clients, strive for continuous improvement and look out for their best interests. You grow. You get referrals and the word gets out that the marketing you are doing is indeed working. Yes, even with the economic downturn we are helping clients get measurable results.

It’s an unbelievable feeling when you prove that marketing can still lift sales. The proof is the “thank yous” I continue to receive.

Of course, we are always looking for more client partnerships, so if you know anyone who needs to add measurability to their marketing, please have them call me.

In closing, I am proud of our work together and for the partnership we have created. I look forward to another 10 years of increased marketing ROI with you.

Sincerely,

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

Chief Marketer and E-Centric ran this piece on the increasing use of Internet Video in marketing today. I hope you have success with this emerging media.

Grant A. Johnson
Johnson Direct LLC
1-800-710-2750