Newsletters Made For You- Exceptional Living

Ever read “No B.S. Direct Marketing” by Dan Kennedy?  It’s a classic.

What I love about DK is that his marketing strategies easily transfer from one industry to another.

That’s probably because he’s worked with clients in 68 different businesses, industries and professions.

So, when he talks about marketing, you should probably pay attention to him.

Anyway, last night I was reading where he says you should build a fence around your herd (clients).

What kind of fence?

Client contact and communication… the stuff of customer relationships.

That kind of fence will keep your customers from straying. And it makes sure your competitors stay out.

Kennedy’s advice: “My single biggest recommendation is the use of a monthly customer newsletter. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, maintains your fences better.”

So, what shape is your fence in? Is there a slate broken? Maybe you have a whole section missing?

Fear not.

Nothing will mend your client contact and communication faster or better than Exceptional Living customer newsletter.

Dollar for dollar, NOTHING is more effective at adding zeros to your bank account.

Sound good?  It gets even better.

First: Try Exceptional Living on me. That’s right… free-ola. The first month’s on me.

Second: We have new pricing. Imagine being able to send your clients a monthly, 6 page, full, edge-to-edge color newsletter that’s PERSONALIZED, addressed and mailed first class for only $1.49 each.

Yikes… I get queasy just thinking about it.

But I also know it’ll make a huge difference on what your bottom line looks like at the end of 2010.

So, I’m cool with our new pricing.

Hop over to WebtoPrintIQ and see how fast and easy it is to get started fixing fences and multiplying your money.

Taking action just feels right.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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Not many companies will pay you to walk away from the job.

In fact, I know of only one.

Zappos. They sell shoes… exclusively online. They did $1 billion in sales last year.

Zappos is famous for their unique approach to hiring employees.

All new hires are put through a six week training program – it’s very thorough, but it’s not unique.

Then, after about a week or so, Zappos makes The Offer.

New hires are told, “If you quit today, we’ll pay you for the time you’ve worked, PLUS give you a $2,000 bonus.”

Why???

Because if you’re willing to take the company up on The Offer, you obviously don’t have the sense of commitment they’re looking for.

They want only motivated, highly enthusiastic ‘true believers’ in the Zappos company culture.

It’s this kind of employee that becomes the heart and soul of the ultimate customer experience.

Here’s the BIG marketing lesson:

It doesn’t matter if you’re a one-man band or have a few dozen employees. Your customers can SENSE your level of commitment to them.

They can smell inattention and boredom like a Rottweiler can smell fear.

The problem is most businesses today are competing on low prices; customer service has fallen by the wayside.

Smart companies are ramping up their customer service levels to all-time highs.

Clever entrepreneurs are also adding a monthly client newsletter into the mix.

They understand customer newsletters are a vital part of the formula to get and keep clients for life.

Exceptional Living is the king of customer newsletters. Click here and I’ll mail you three samples today.

Taking action just feel right.

- 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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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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Used to be, back in the day – your father’s day – customer loyalty was pretty much a given.

For example, if you were an ‘Oldsmobile’ man, you bought Oldsmobile vehicles until the day you died.

Brand loyalty ran deep.  It was taught to children; and then passed on to the grandchildren.

When I was a kid, we used to go to the same neighborhood restaurant every Sunday like clockwork. If we missed a week, the owner would call to make sure we were ok.

He did it because he was really concerned about us, not because he didn’t get our money that week.

But that was then… and this is now.

Consumers today will desert you at the drop of a hat.

These new rules cut across entire industries and into the big cities and small towns.

A marketing plan from 1980 just doesn’t work anymore.

This is what has NOT changed:

75% of all buying decisions are STILL based on relationships.

Today we just have to work much harder now to earn (and keep) the loyalty of our clients.

Communication is the starting point of all relationships.  A client newsletter is the most powerful way to communicate to your customers.

Here’s why customer newsletters work:

Every time your client gets your newsletter, it’s another chance to get to know you better. And the better they know you, the more they will like you.

Consumers will buy over and over from people they like. Don’t you?  It’s becomes an enjoyable, pleasant and likable experience. It makes you feel good about your buying decision.

A customer newsletter sent regularly (key word) and that is interesting (another key word) has the marketing magic to accomplish this. If done properly, it can create relationships that last a lifetime.

If you haven’t looked at Exceptional Living lately, perhaps it’s time to add it to your marketing arsenal.

It’s how you can dominate your market.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS:  Click here to have me send you three free samples of Exceptional Living today.

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Romancing the client is a lot like a real romance.

Both relationships require a bunch of effort to be successful.

Both also need good communication skills.

When a customer relationship is cultivated, it grows stronger. Just like a real romance, it can last a lifetime.

Most entrepreneurs don’t bother with this. They think it’s a waste of time and money. So, they’re constantly prowling around for new customers.

That’s a really, really dumb thing to do.

Here’s why…

When you ignore your clients, they tend to ignore you.  And if your clients feel that you’ve forgotten about them, they WILL forget you.

BTW: Every business needs new clients – just not at the expense of overlooking your existing customers.

Did you know it costs 6 times more to get a new prospect to buy your stuff than it does a current client?

What does this tell you?

When a client relationship is ‘romanced’, it continues to be productive, long-lasting and (most importantly) very profitable. Yep… even in a recession.

Marketing relentlessly to them isn’t a business cost – it’s an investment.

Look at your return on investment ROI). NEVER look at just the ‘cost’.

For example, would you spend $1000 to make $10,000?

A 10-to-1 ROI? It’s a no-brainer.

That’s how you should look at relationship marketing – as a smart investment.

A customer newsletter – or a patient newsletter – has the marketing magic to easily accomplish this for you.

Try Exceptional Living for free – the first month is on me.

Your clients will ADORE you for it.

Taking action just feel right.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Wanna get touchy, feely with Exceptional Living? Click here and I’ll send you three free issues to check out.

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Can one word REALLY transform your business forever? It did for Legos.

Their product was great. But the marketing message was off… by one word.

Here’s the story:

Legos is a Danish company that’s been around forever. But it didn’t get into what we know it for until the late 1940’s.

Europe was a small market in those days. Legos needed to expand into the U.S. market.

So, in the early 1950’s, the company used their same marketing message for the U.S. launch.

It failed miserably.

It tried two more runs at the American market. They ended the same way

Legos finally hired an outside marketing consultant.

He brought Danish children into the company; then he watched as they were given a box of Legos. Here’s what they would do:

They carefully unpacked the box…they confirmed all parts shown in the booklet were there…then they built the few samples in the manual exactly as shown.

Then some American kids were brought in.  Guess what they did?

They ripped open the box…tossed the instruction booklet aside…dumped everything in a pile and started experimenting.

So the problem wasn’t the product.  The product was great. All they had to do was change just one word in the marketing message.

Here’s why…

In Denmark, the Legos’ marketing message was: This toy will encourage your child’s inclination for engineering – something they excel at as a nation.

But in the United States, parents were told something different. This toy would encourage their child’s creativity.

Creativity vs. Engineering. The two words are similar… but different enough to stall a national marketing campaign.

As you know, Legos went on to become wildly successful in the U.S.

The BIG marketing lesson:

Sometimes you gotta change your message. Sometimes it might be just one word.

Awhile back I wrote, “How One Simple Phrase Can Kick Your Competitor’s Butt” (click here to read).

THAT’S what I’m talking about. Get a killer USP.

It can rock your business.

So can my killer newsletter.  Let me send you 3 FREE samples. Just tell me where to send them. (Tell David)

Taking action just feels right,

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”  So said Mark Twain back in 1897.

Print newsletters have been saying it for the past ten years. Why? Because many business owners feel…

– With the internet, all they have to do is post content online; everyone will flock to their site to read it. Plus it’s FREE!

– Email is king!  Just send an ezine. It’s FREE!

– Postage keeps going up along with printing costs… but email is FREE!

There’s no question about it. Print newsletters should have died a long time ago.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral.  The print newsletter suddenly became Lazarus and a resurrection took place.

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Click here to find out what the fuss is all about.  Tell me where to send your 3 free samples of Exceptional Living.
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Why print newsletters are still here:

1.  Printed mail gets delivered – It’s never blocked or caught in spam filters.

2. People still prefer to hold, touch and feel what they are reading.

3. Readers retain much less of what they read online compared to reading printed material. So, if you have an offer with a call to action, wouldn’t it be nice if it was remembered for more than 30 seconds?

4.  Print newsletters have more perceived value. How many companies are willing to print and mail a newsletter?

5.  Print newsletters stick around. People keep print newsletters for further or future reading. And they usually get passed around.

Still love your ezine? Then do both. Send an email newsletter on a weekly basis. But, send a monthly print newsletter, too.

There is a GOLD STANDARD to determine which one is best for you.

Just ask your clients. Survey them to see which one THEY prefer. After all… isn’t it all about what our customers want?

Taking action just feels right,

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Click Here to tell me where to send your 3 free sample issues of Exceptional Living

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He was young, both stupid AND smart, and played a killer piano.

Jerry Lee Lewis was called the killer since he was baby in Louisiana. But he lived up to that name with his music. He was rock & roll’s first great wild man.

He knew the value of branding. So, he often mentioned himself in his songs – something no one had thought about doing.

He was a marketing genius.

Here’s an example. Check out how his song “Lewis Boogie” begins (featured in the film, Walk the Line):

My name is Jerry Lee Lewis,
come from Louisiana
I’m gonna do you a little boogie
on this here piano
Doing mighty fine, I’m gonna make you shake it
I’ll make you do it,
and make you do it, until you break it
It’s called the Lewis boogie, in the Lewis way
Lord, I do my little boogie woogie every day

How’s that for self-promotion and branding? He did this throughout his career.

BIG marketing lesson from the killer:

It’s OK to talk about YOU.

Don’t do it your marketing ads… because all people really care about is ‘ME’.

But you CAN mention yourself so people can identify with you. They get to know you. And they begin to like you.

This is what newsletter marketing is all about. You start a relationship with a customer to create clients for life.

BTW: I have a killer newsletter called Exceptional Living.

I want to prove it to you. I want to send you… not one… not two… but THREE real issues of Exceptional Living newsletter.

FREE… as in no strings attached. Absolutely zero obligation. I’ll never mail you anything again unless you OK it first.

Here’s what you need to do to get three hard copy issues of the best customer newsletter on the planet:

Just click here.  Then, let me know where to send your free three issues.

That’s it. Simple and easy. I’ll send it to you at my cost.

Just click here. Aren’t you just a ‘teensy bit’ curious what Exceptional Living newsletter REALLY looks like?

Taking action just feels right,

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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Yep… a lesson from the Golf God himself. But it wasn’t about golf.

Here’s the skinny: You probably know Tiger is a notoriously media-shy guy. So when I saw his name in the news – so scandalously – it was quite a shock.

I want be real clear: I don’t give a rats heinie about what he did or didn’t do.

But Tiger DID teach me an important lesson…

Good, bad or ugly – just tell the truth…full disclosure, baby!

It’s impossible to hide ANYTHING from 1000 bloodhounds on your trail. They’ll probe, pick and downright dissect you until they find something.

Here’s how my lesson taught by the Tiger affects YOU:

I’ve been telling you for awhile now about Exceptional Living, right?

–  How it’s a different kind of client newsletter.
–  That it’s a print newsletter that could be considered a ‘newsmagazine.’
–  It creates clients for life and generates tons of referrals…

…blah, blah, blah.

It’s time for full disclosure ’cause I’m not sure you believe me.

I want to prove it to you. I want to mail you… not one… not two… but THREE real, hold ‘em-in-your-hand issues of Exceptional Living newsletter.

FREE… as in no strings attached. Absolutely zero obligation.

I’ll never mail you anything again… ever, unless YOU ask me to.

Here’s what you need to do to get three hard copy issues of the best customer newsletter on the planet:

Just click here.

This is what will happen: You won’t leave my website. You’ll just go to another page.  Then, just tell me where to mail your free three issues.

That’s it. Simple and easy. I’ll send them to you at my cost – but NO cost to you.

Just click here. Aren’t you just a ‘teensy bit’ curious what Exceptional Living newsletter REALLY looks like?

Just tell me where to send them. It’s in the interests of full disclosure… right, Tiger?

Taking action just feels right,

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Click here now for your totally no-strings-attached 3 FREE newsletter samples.

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I’ll bet this rolls off your tongue when you see a salesperson stalking you in a department store.

True, it can mean “go away and leave me alone.” But a lot of times it REALLY means:  “I’m not ready to buy yet.  But I will be later.”

Here’s the real question: When they’re finally ready to buy… will YOU be the one they call?

If it’s in the next 24 hours… yeah, they probably will call you. But after that, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

There’s this thing called ‘top of consciousness.’

Top of consciousness is when you are already in your customer’s mind when they decide they need your services. Think of it as a mental sweet spot.

If you aren’t at in that mental sweet spot when they need what you offer, then you go back to square one. You have to battle competitors all over again for your client’s attention.

If your client has to go to the Yellow Pages, look on the Internet or ask someone for a reference, the company with the deepest pockets – the most money to spend on advertising – usually wins.

When you market smart, you get directly to your customers often and regularly.

It sounds like it’s expensive to market this way – but it’s not.

Did you know…

1.  Acquiring new customers costs 5 to 7 times more than retaining a current one.

2.  It’s 8 times easier to sell to an active customer

3.  A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10%.

4.  78% of your customers are lost after six months of no contact with them.

And yet, 95% of businesses spend nearly all of their time, money and energy on chasing new clients.

They do nothing to retain existing customers.

What should this tell you? Staying at the top of consciousness is just smart marketing.

But here’s the tricky part: Doing it (maintaining client contact) in a fun and informative way, NOT with a blatant sales pitch.

A real-world example: I just sold $273 of services to customer I hadn’t heard from in four years. During that time, it cost me $96.00 to send her a monthly client newsletter.

When the time was right… when she wasn’t ‘just looking’ anymore… I was the one she called after FOUR years.

This was the BEST part: She referred me to two other new clients and they each gave me 6 referrals.

Do you see how this works? Relentless client contact crazy profitable!

Exceptional Living Newsletter makes sending a print newsletter fast, easy, painless, and profitable. Our newsletter template is online and 97% Done For You.

I do all of the heavy lifting for you.  Click here now to activate your FREE account.

Taking action just feels right.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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