Newsletters Made For You- Exceptional Living

Disney does details.

That’s one of the things we learned at my mastermind meeting at Disney World with Andrew Lock.

Disney really sweats the details… big time.

Here’s one example:

At Walt Disney World, you’ve probably never noticed the sidewalks are a distinct pinkish color. And the curbs and streets are a particular shade of gray.

It’s all by design.

Disney commissioned Kodak to do a color analysis. The idea was to determine the best colors to provide optimum color contrast when photos were taken in the park.

Why care about this?

Because when guests take pictures, the photos would look their best at Disney. They wanted to provide the best possible ‘experience’. Disney wanted the pictures from THEIR park to ‘look better’ than they would anywhere else.

For entrepreneurs, there’s no such thing as an unimportant detail. Small details add up fast to create the ‘big picture’ of your company.

Take your company newsletter. Most newsletters are ‘thrown together’. The usual objective is to stuff content in as fast as possible and get that sucker in the mail.

Now compare that mindset with the July issue of Exceptional Living company newsletter:
http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

The content is calculated to INVOLVE your customer… in eight different ways, to be exact.

We sweat the details so you don’t have to worry about it. That’s relationship marketing made easy!

Our newsletter ideas WILL make you money.

– David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Have a SAFE and FUN holiday weekend!

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

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He wasn’t called ‘Old Blood and Guts’ for nothing.

George Patton once said, “A good plan violently executed NOW is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

Let’s back up for a minute. I’ll bet you didn’t know this:

In the summer of 1912, Patton was a 27 year old Olympic athlete. He participated in the first modern pentathlon. He finished 5th.

One of the events was fencing.  After the Olympics, Patton studied with the greatest swordsman in Europe, the French ‘Master at Arms’.

He became the US Army’s youngest ever ‘Master of the Sword.’ Patton used his skills to improve and modernize the army’s saber fencing techniques.

But it was too late. The nature of war was changing quickly.

Saber cavalry units became obsolete – almost overnight. By the end of WWI, armored (tank) combat had replaced horse cavalry warfare.

However Patton’s skills and the lessons he learned were not wasted. He simply adapted his ‘move forward and attack’ saber techniques for use with armored warfare.

He became the most feared U.S. general in WW II.

3 Ways To Apply These Lessons In Your Biz

1. TAKE ACTION!  Don’t sit around analyzing things to death (paralysis by analysis); get something up, and start selling it NOW. Make it better as you go.

2. LEARN FROM THE BEST! If you want to learn how to market your business, seek out and learn from those who are doing it, and doing it well!

3. ADAPT! Sure, things change in your business – sometimes overnight. Patton went from being a saber expert to a tank warfare expert. Take the lessons learned and skill sets mastered and adapt them. Never say, ‘but my business is different’.

Regarding ‘Take Action NOW’: Do this by getting out of your comfort zone.  Never tried newsletter marketing? Just do it. And now you can do it for less money than before.

Only $1.49 for a personalized, 6 page, full, edge-to-edge color company newsletter that’s PRINTED and MAILED first class for you.

There’s still plenty of time to get started right now. Click here to activate your free account.

Got an account already? TAKE ACTION NOW! Log on here.

Make Patton proud.

We have newsletter ideas that work.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

Copyright 2010

This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

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I offer free marketing consultations – but only to you guys. (Click here to schedule)

So yesterday I’m yacking with Mike. He’d never considered marketing with sequential mailings.

It reminded me of this great Three Dog Night song:

“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It’s the loneliest number since the number one.”
.
One isn’t just lonely. It’s the most evil number in marketing. ‘One’ is very, very bad… closely followed by ‘two.’

The ‘happiest’ number in marketing is three… or more. Sequential mailings (three or more) will make you a lot more money.

Most businesses make this mistake: They think marketing with one ad, sales letter, postcard, etc. one time, will work.  WRONG!

This is how advertising legend Bruce Barton explained it: “You can’t advertise today and quit tomorrow. You’re not talking to a mass meeting. You’re talking to a parade.”

Bruce’s point?

Repetition is critical to your marketing success.

No single ad will bring in enough customers to keep your business thriving and successful. In fact, it’s been proven repeatedly that most prospects – and clients – do not respond to a marketing offer until several exposures.

Sequential mailings are the weird little trick entrepreneurs never use. It can take a single mailing… and put it on steroids.

Two important points:

1. Create urgency by giving the offer a deadline – and mention the deadline several times in each mailing.

2. You must have a reoccurring theme in each piece – a REASON for the special offer (your birthday, a holiday, the sun came up…)

For example, say you’re an automotive repair shop. You want to drive business by offering a $15.00 oil change special. That marketing hook must be mentioned in each mailing.

Mailing number one describes the phenomenal offer and the reason for it. Number two expresses concern why you haven’t called. Number three tell them they’re about to miss out on this fantastic offer.

Get it? Do this every ten days for a month for amazing results!

This same strategy drives company newsletter marketing. Regular marketing touches over several months will create clients for life.

It’s a vital piece of relationship marketing.

Let’s talk more about it. Click here to schedule your free marketing consultation.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

Copyright 2010

This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

Clients for Life, company newsletter, marketing, newsletter marketing, print newsletter, relationship marketing Clients for Life, company newsletter, Newsletter, newsletter marketing, newsletters, print newsletter, relationship marketing

Ever been late in paying your bills?  Yep, me too.

If you’re late long enough, at some point you start getting those nice letters from the collection agency.

First, you get a letter with the typical request to pay your debt; you’re urged to ‘govern yourself accordingly.’(I never understood what that meant.)

If you don’t respond, a second letter arrives in the form of a ‘friendly reminder.’

Keep ignoring them and things begin to get ugly. A third letter arrives with that big, red ‘Final Notice!’ stamped on it.

Those are called sequential mailings. They are based on a principle called ‘repetition for emphasis.’ If something is important, it gets repeated more than one time. Not verbatim, but it’s restated in a slightly different way multiple times.

Sequential mailings work for collection agencies. And they’re just as effective for entrepreneurs.

It’s the key to making your marketing work.

“You can’t advertise today and quit tomorrow. You’re not talking to a mass meeting. You’re talking to a parade.”

So said Bruce Barton, a founder of advertising giant BBDO.

Bruce’s point?  Repetition is critical.

No single ad will ever bring in enough customers to keep a business thriving and successful.

In fact it’s been proven repeatedly most consumers will not respond to a marketing piece until at least the seventh exposure.

This is why sequential mailings are so effective.

And it’s the same principle that makes company newsletters work.

Sending a newsletter once or twice a year doesn’t keep you in your client’s awareness path.  Even sending a quarterly newsletter is unproductive.

You have to consistently and regularly mail a monthly company newsletter. It’s called relationship marketing.

I’m not being self-serving here, folks. This is how marketing that works… uh, works.

Newsletter marketing isn’t a sprint. It’s a cross country race. You’re in for the long haul.

Just keep it friendly, not ugly.

BTW: If you didn’t see yesterday’s email, click here to check out the April Exceptional Living client newsletter.

We want to be your newsletter publishers.

-  David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

Copyright 2010

This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

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No, this isn’t about those 300 Spartan studs in Speedos. And the real number is actually 381.

That’s how many clients get to see the April issue of Exceptional Living newsletter today.

They get an exclusive, members-only sneak peak because they’ve activated their free account at WebtoPrintIQ.com

They get see the latest money-making, relationship building, referral generating company newsletter from me and Brett.

And it’s really cool. Tons fun and interesting info that your customers will salivate over… antsy with excitement to discover what’s on the next page.

The 8 built-in involvement triggers work like a steel trap to capture the attention of your customers.

Don’t miss out. Click here to get started. It’s freakin’ free… so what’s the problem?

Get started on the path to revving up profits by getting an avalanche on new referrals.

Quick story: I got a call today from a client in my service business. The 547 clients that received Exceptional Living newsletter got ‘em on March 1st. people are STILL calling in with the answer to the trivia question.

What’s that tell you?

This sucker has hang time. It sticks around and it gets passed around. People still had our newsletter their homes, out in the open, for the past 10 days.

That’s at least 10 days to look at and consider the special monthly offer I made just for my clients.

Anyway, see it for yourself. Activate your free account today. It takes about 3 minutes.

You won’t regret it. And Speedos are not required.

We know how to write a newsletter.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

company newsletter, newsletter marketing company newsletter, exceptional living, how to write a newsletter, newsletter marketing, print newsletter

Don’t worry… berserk violence isn’t required.

People today are mailing less.  A lot less.

As Americans turn from paper to electronic communications, the amount of mail handled by the Post Office continues to drop.

From 213 billion pieces in 2006 to 177 billion last year.

BTW:  Those numbers are staggering. Now you know why our mail occasionally takes a ‘left turn’ on us. Overall, the U. S. Postal Service is incredibly reliable.

Anyway, this means that your marketing will stand out even more in your prospects and clients mail boxes.

And it will get even better. Volume is expected to drop to 150 billion by 2020.

This is good news, indeed.

Now is the time to step up your print marketing. While everyone is falling back to email-only marketing, your mail will definitely get noticed.

This is why company newsletter marketing is so hot. No one is doing them… including your competitors.

Some biz owners think they’re hopelessly old school. Others may have tried client newsletters and failed (they’re harder than they look).

Most entrepreneurs think of printed newsletters as quaint old things, like handwritten letters or electric typewriters. So while marketing certainly isn’t exempt from fads, client newsletters are absolutely evergreen.

And if you do it right, your customers will actually look forward to getting their client newsletter each month. It’s relationship marketing at it’s very best.

Exceptional Living is now only $1.49 each – printed, personalized, addressed and mailed first class.

Activate your free account and jump in. You can play with the cool editing features, upload images to your account, etc.

You don’t pay a dime until you decide that you want to place an order. In the meantime kick the tires on our free newsletter templates.

If you do choose to order, for less than 18 bucks a year per client, you can keep in touch every month and build your customer relationships.

I’m hard at work on April’s issue of Exceptional Living. It should be ready for viewing in the next few days.

I’ll keep you ‘posted (pun intended).

Taking action just feel right.

-  David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Save $77! I’ll waive your first month’s subscription of Exceptional Living print newsletter!

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Copyright 2010

This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

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I had an ‘aha’ moment.  Boy, if Oprah finds out…

Here’s the skinny: Several month ago, Ms. Multibillionaire sued Mutual of Omaha.  The insurance company started a marketing campaign called “the official sponsor of the aha moment.” They also trademarked the phrase.

Oprah was miffed.  Winfrey thinks she owns the phrase – apparently she says it a lot – although she’s never tried to trademark it.

Anyway, they settled out of court. No one really knows how it ended.

So… I guess I’ll just have to take my chances.

This is how my ‘aha moment’ happened.

One of my clients called to thank me for sending her the ‘magazine’ this month.

Magazine???  My mind was racing… did I send someone my Sports Illustrated by mistake?  No, no, no… she  sounded HAPPY to get it.

Then it hit me. She was talking about Exceptional Living customer newsletter – but she called it a magazine!

Huh… I never thought of it as a magazine before.  But I can see why she would think that.

After all, it’s printed in full, edge-to-edge-color; and it does have six pages. Perhaps ‘newsmagazine’ could work, too… hmmm.

My ‘aha moment’ was sealed.

Want to know when YOUR ‘aha moment’ will be?

The day your customers start calling YOU about the great ‘magazine’ you  sent them. Then you’ll finally believe:

-  Exceptional Living is really easy to create -  97% of the work is done for you with our newsletter template that’s made for you.

-  Exceptional Living really does bring in more sales from existing clients.

-  Exceptional Living really gets passed around and generates more referrals for your company.

Create your own ‘aha moment’.  Get started here.

And don’t worry about Oprah; I won’t tell her.

Taking action just feel right.

-  David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: You have plenty of time to get your March newsletter in your customer’s mailboxes. Our turnaround time is awesome!

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Do you think history repeats itself?

Roy H. Williams (The Monday Morning Memo guy) commented today on a book called ‘Generations’.

The authors went back over 400 years and identified four 20 year cycles mankind seems to revert to, over and over again. Each cycle appears like clockwork. Right now, we are seven years into the current cycle.

To prove his point, Roy then looked at the life of Moses as an example.  Bible buffs will find this incredibly fascinating.

While we cannot predict the future, we can predict the trends that drive us towards certain mindsets. These mindsets govern many aspects of our lives… including how we spend our money.

Marketing lesson: We need to be agile and fast-moving with our marketing message. Constant client contact enables you to adapt to the moods that drive your sales.

And there is no better way to maintain a relationship with your clients then with a monthly customer newsletter.

And I have one waiting for you.

The March issue of Exceptional Living is locked and loaded here.

Activate your free account if you haven’t done so yet.

Taking action just feels right.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: You can read Roy’s Memo here.

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Bill Glazer was the first to tell me that most ads are boring.

Then I started paying attention to what I was seeing in the mail box and in magazines and newspapers.

Huh. They were pretty damn boring.

In fact, they were nearly invisible… I just didn’t pay attention to them because they ALL LOOKED ALIKE.

This is what I discovered:

People are bored by advertising for the same reason they’re bored by anything else…

A total lack of relevance.

But when ads are relevant, customers respond.

Are your ads relevant, or are they answering a question that no one is asking?

Good ads work no matter how they’re delivered. It doesn’t matter if they are direct mail letters or fax machine blasts; on the radio or TV. With some small variations, they all perform equally well.

The secret is crafting a message that would be relevant to the public.

Great ads work because they deliver a message guaranteed to move the needle on the “It Matters Meter.”

Ads FAIL when they don’t matter… ’cause no one cares.

Newsletter marketing works the same way.

- They can’t be boring.
- They must be relevant to your customer.
- The “It Matters Meter” must move way over into the red when they open it up.

If your client newsletter doesn’t do this, it will share the same fate as a bad ad.

It gets ignored, unnoticed and NEVER acted upon.

You can learn a lot about marketing from Exceptional Living customer newsletter.

Click here to have me mail you three free sample hard copies.

Taking action just feel right.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: My partner Brett said I’m supposed to keep this quiet… but I have BIG announcement coming on Monday. I’m so excited…

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I just spent two very full days (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) with 15 extremely sharp and savvy entrepreneurs in Andrew Lock’s Magical Mastermind group.

As promised, this is 1 of 5 marketing strategies you can use in your own business.

Most businesses consider customer service to be a necessary evil. Who wants to hear people gripe about their stuff, right?

I’ve talked about Zappos before. Check out this blog post to get caught up. They excel at customer service… it’s legendary… it’s the gold standard.

Zappos considers customer service THE most important thing they do.

One of the guys in our group runs a multimillion dollar online nutritional supplement company.

So he’s telling a story about a REALLY unhappy customer. She was furious with the company. And she posted all of this fury on their Facebook page!

Here’s what they do when they have a real thorny problem:  They ask, “What would Zappos do?”

This is the kind of company Zappos is:

The nutritional supplement company actually called Zappos customer service. They wanted to know how Zappos would handle this customer.

Guess what?

Zappos’ customer service rep spent 30 minutes helping them work out a solution for their problem customer.

And then she cheerfully tells them, “Call us any time!”

BIG TAKE AWAY: Customer service is an attitude. And to be honest, I have a hard time with it in my service businesses.

But when I hear TRUE stories like this about Zappos, it always makes me rethink my customer service mentality. It makes me want to aspire to the Zappos standard.

What do you think about this?

How do YOU handle difficult customer services issues?

Leave a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts about customer service.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: If you haven’t requested your three free samples of Exceptional Living, click here now.

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