Marketing Lesson #2 from Mike Marchev

Marketing Communications"

Welcome Back
I'm Mike Marchev, remember?
We have lots more to cover today so let's get started.
Here is your Second Lesson of My Marketing Course For Those of You Who Have No Time To Market. I strongly recommend that you print this email and staple the pages together. Then, when you have a moment to think and concentrate, focus on Lesson #2. It will pay huge dividends if adopted as an ongoing marketing practice.
One of the things that the majority of folks find most challenging about growing their businesses is staying in touch with meaningful things to say over time. Enter the sales letter.
Now I am not about to bore you with the abc's of written communication, but I am going to make a few points.
Don't funk yourself out when it comes to writing letters. They are no big deal. In fact, the shorter the better. (See the section on postcards that follows below).

Click on the cover of the book
to learn how
to become the exception.

But, it is helpful if you know why you are writing in the first place. Is it to inform? To request information or for an interview? To congratulate? To send condolences? Have a purpose for writing.
As for the body of the letter itself, it is always easier if you work from a proven model.
Here is a simple template you can use: 1-2-1
• One paragraph
• Two paragraphs
• One paragraph
In the first paragraph, simply state your purpose for writing. Get right to the point in the first sentence. Remember, your reader is busy and wants to cut right to the chase. You don't have the luxury of "warming up" while you wax poetic in the first few sentences. Get right down to business.
In the next two paragraphs, explain what you want to happen or explain the information you have. This is the bread and butter of the letter. It explains what you have in mind and outlines the options if any. If you have lots of information you might want to use bullets. An occasional underline also demands attention. The letter should be organized to help the reader understand what to know or what needs doing.
In the final paragraph, request a dated action and/or conclude or thank the reader for his/her response. Similar to paragraph #1, this final section is usually a short one. Depending on your letter, it will do one of three things:
1. Conclude. This allows you to point out the most important item or summarize all your key points once again.
2. Request action. Tell the reader what to do and when to do it.
3. Thank the reader. For whatever you feel is appropriate.
I told you I did not want to beat you up on the rhyme or reason of writing a simple business letter, but I do want to take some additional time to lay out what I call your "Success Letter". This my friend is a section of the course you want to pay very close attention to.
The simple letter is a "beautiful "thing". But the "success letter" is a fabulous marketing weapon. It too is relatively simple. There is nothing to make up and nothing to exaggerate.
Your Success Letter.
A Success Letter specifically outlines a single accomplishment of yours as experienced and enjoyed by one of your current accounts. In other words, it is a capsule summary of a very positive outcome that resulted from your contribution to a specific client problem, issue or concern.
An example might help to clarify this remarkably effective "tool":
The Situation:
• A honeymoon couple contacted you interested in taking a trip to celebrate their marriage.
• They could only get the reception hall beginning at 2 pm on that particular Saturday.
• They wished to be in destination "A" by a certain time the next day, Pina Colade in hand and miles away from everyone they knew.
• The last flight out that evening was at 7:45 pm.
The Problem: The timing was all too close. In order to accomplish the "perfect plan", they would have to "rush" which would create a level of anxiety which could very well put a damper on the entire marriage thing. What to do?

Enter You: You evaluated the situation, weighed the options and provided the couple with Plan "A" with a back-up Plan "B" should the "fast-get-away" require one. You made all the arrangements along with a flawless, back-up contingency plan. In short, you covered all the bases for them and stood in readiness to make sure that their big day would be executed perfectly. You even stood by to place a call to the local police department to make certain that the route to the airport provided clear sailing.
You were not going to stand by and see the travel portion of their dream day blown to bits on their perfect day.
You then did "a, b and c" followed by "d, e and f".
You "dotted every i" (twice) so that the couple could dance the lights fantastic without worrying about the honeymoon until it was time to return to reality 7 days on down the road. (You might even have remembered to slip a bottle of #35 into their waiting car just in case they had some sun bathing on their mind.)
In short, you made it all work. Good for you. You should feel very proud. And very professional. (In reality, you probably do this all the time.) But nobody besides the new couple knows about the magic you performed for them. Shame on you!
Enter Your Success Letter.
You put all the details in a letter and send it to candidates who might be interested in receiving the same caliber of "white-glove" treatment.
"Mike. Wait a minute. Are you telling me that I have to brag about myself and toot my own horn?"
Yes! That's exactly what I am telling you. If you don't, who is going to do it? I'm too busy tooting my own horn to worry about yours. You must learn that being a self-promoter is not a bad thing.
You are on your own my friend. Get used to it.
You were successful pulling off the impossible with couple "A" and now you are more experienced and in a better position to perform the same magic act with couple "B", "C", and "D". Your contacts are in place. Next time, it will be a walk in the park.
This sure beats the age-worn sales letter that simply reminds the prospect how many years you have been in business booking other people's honeymoons .... or how many agents you have over the age of 85 waiting for Friday to make their life right.
Write A Success Letter.
You already have a bag load of success stories --- I hope. All you have to do is to put the sequential steps down on paper and let others know about your skills. Then, and here comes the good part, write 12 of these letters. An even dozen. Why 12?
Because you are going to send a different letter each month to your targeted audience. Remember I said this was a "system".
Success letters make a logical mailing program. It is the only mail program you will need for the next 20 years. After you send letter #12, you can begin again with letter #1.
Regardless of the interim between each letter, here is what I want you to do. Here is what I insist that you do.
After each set of three letters, call the prospect on the phone to ask them if they have been receiving your letters and if any of them stimulated their imagination or piqued their interest. "No? Well have a nice day." Then get ready to send them three more. Don't worry. If the letters you are sending are filled with actual super human effort that solves legitimate dilemmas, it will only be a matter of time before this particular prospect folds like a cheap tent. (Whatever that means?)
Now for those of you out there asleep at the wheel, ..... no, it does not have to be just honeymoons. Your letters need to involve the area you are specializing in. Adventure travel. Golf groups. Church groups. Associations. Business. Vacation. Italy etc. Stay with me.
Is 12 too many for you?
It is if you haven't done 12 good things worth talking about.
Write 8 and send them out every 6 - 7 weeks. (Okay, you in the back of the room, send one but don't tell anybody I know you.)
==================================================
Your homework assignment is to write just one Success Letter. After you write one, the others will be easier to write, I promise. Once you get the hang of it, write a second.
Your future begins today. Write a Success Letter.