Drew McLellan, Author at McLellan Marketing Group

Concentrate on the old this week

July 23, 2007

Current or past clients are a goldmine of potential new sales. Here are some of the advantages of selling to someone who has already bought from you:

They know who you are and trust/like you enough that they've done business with you
They are more likely to take your calls than a prospect
You'll be able to get past their gatekeeper
They've already experienced your product
They are also great referral sources
They are the source of testimonials
If they had a good experience, they will want more

Of course, if you fade away and lose touch, they will lose interest. So you want to be sure that an element of your marketing/sales plan include staying in touch with these very valuable customers.

Of course, you're going to have to talk to them differently. It's like the difference between talking to a stranger and talking to your cousin.

If you are like most businesses, you spend a disproportionate amount of your time chasing strangers and not enough time talking to old forgotten cousins.

Do you have a cousin or two that you should reach out to this week? Do you have something relevant to say?

Do your words caress your wares?

July 21, 2007

It's human nature. When someone loves something, we are drawn to it as well. Maybe it's a borrowed esteem thing. But, when someone is that gaga over something, you just know there has to be something to it.

And that love cannot be faked. It's in their eyes. And in their words. They don't just describe the object of their affection; their words actually caress it. Let me give you an example.

The J. Peterman Company catalog is a copywriting lesson in and of itself. Each item is artfully displayed but it's the description that enraptures the would-be shopper.

Listen to how they describe an item called Floral Silk Dress.

Just a few hundred intimate friends on hand for a good cause, canapés among the rosebushes.

Castor Swilling and Mia Culp have flown in from the coast.

All the power couples have showed up – the Bagbalms, the de Kays, the Thralls, the fun-loving Audibles. There's the cream of the Beltway too, from Justice Hardly and Secretary Spinner to the indefatigable Snapper Balding.

But it's you, my dear, who carries the day….the first woman to sell one million dollars worth of raffle tickets.

You know how to dress for these things. Floral Silk Dress (No. 1865). Sleeveless, mid-calf length confection of gossamer 10mm georgette lined in silk charmeuse (satin side against your body). High Empire waist with cummerbund pleats. Decorative self-covered buttons down the front. Eight godets for sweep and flutter.

Or…the Malaguena skirt.

The impulse to flirt is inborn, which is a good thing. Social life with flirtation would be a bowl of very dull porridge.

Unfortunately, political correctness et al. has created ambivalence about flirting. Clumsiness. Confusion.

People attend courses with titles like "Get What You Want Through Flirting." They text each other across a crowded room.

May I suggest a more organic approach?

Start by putting on this skirt. The gentle motion of the silk tiers draws attention, stirs imagination. Life warms up without bursting into flames. Lines of communication tend to open naturally.

True flirtation isn't a preliminary. It's a preliminary to a preliminary. Malaguena Skirt (No. 1586), four soft, flowing angled tiers of silk georgette. Ankle-length. Easy-fitting elastic waist. Georgette lining. Inspired by a flamenco dancer's dress at Rosa de Triana in Old San Juan, just up from the city gate.

That is pure decadence. Love shimmers off every word. You get a sense of affection and a dash of reverence.

In a world of USA Today bullet point or colorful graph ads….this is remarkable. You can't love something with bullet points or a bar chart. It's just too efficient. Love isn't efficient, it is effusive.

I liken this kind of writing to cotton candy. Do we technically need it? No. But its sticky sweetness melts in our mouth and creates an experience unto itself.

Do your words caress your wares? If you don't show the love, how can you expect your customers to?

What is the cost of being right?

July 20, 2007

The world is counting the hours until 12:01 am. Why? The final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes on sale and all the questions will be answered.

So until then…everyone is holding their breath. Well, almost.

As you probably know, both the New York Times and the Baltimore Sun "legally" obtained copies of the book and issued reviews on Thursday — 48 hours before the book was to be officially released. Both reviews gave away elements of the book's plot but neither told us whether or not Harry survives. The book's author JK Rowlings is outraged that the newspapers saw fit to publish a review before the book's release.

This reminds me a bit of the Grinch sneaking the sucker out of Cindy Lou Who's chubby little fingers as she slept. As I search the web today, I'm hard pressed to find someone defending the two paper's decision to publish their reviews. The Washington Post was quick to point out that they are choosing to honor the book's embargo until Saturday at 12:01.

The New York Times and Baltimore Sun's stance is "hey, if we can get the book via legal means, we have the right to publish the review."

People have been flooding the Times and Sun with angry phone calls and e-mails. So here's my question.

Why? Imagine the editorial meeting at either paper. Why would they think the pre-embargo review would be well received? Why not just prep the review and have it ready for the Saturday morning edition or even better…release a 12:01 am edition?

In my mind…this is as much a PR issue as a news issue. If you had been around the decision-making table — what would you have recommended?

Consistency — vital or overrated?

July 19, 2007

Brand experts, including your friends at MMG, believe that consistency in look, tone, and feel is a critical element of communicating and embedding your brand/company into the minds of the consumers. Not just in how you treat your logo, but in the bigger picture. Sales sheets, ads, website, direct mail pieces, etc, etc

But…can consistency be over-done? How rigid do you think a company should be in terms of design elements, logo usage, color pallete, etc?

And does that fine line shift depending on how recognizable your brand/company already is in the consumer group's mind?

In other words…can Nike or Apple take liberties that a lesser known company can't afford to take or doesn't it matter?

SWOT = your annual check up

July 17, 2007

Most businesses do not create a marketing plan or do any annual "thinking" about their business. I'm not even going to begin the lecture on that. So let's assume you're one of the few who recognizes the importance of some annual planning. Part of that planning should be a SWOT analysis.

Think of a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis as an annual check up with your physician. It’s preventative medicine. By going through the exercise, you will start with your own business and then look at the market place around you. SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors.

Your goal in doing a SWOT analysis is to capture and communicate, in a very simple format, the key issues your organization needs to keep an eye on over the next 12 months. Naturally, these become the building blocks for your marketing tactics. It’s easy to strategize on how to capitalize on your strengths, but the real marketing genius will come from neutralizing your weaknesses. In many cases, focusing on your own brand (in a later module) will help you put those into perspective. The most urgent of the quadrants is probably the opportunities. Odds are, your strengths will be with you for years. But an opportunity is here now. How do you capitalize on it while it’s still within your grasp?

Remember, the SWOT is not science. It is filled with subjectivity. Use it as a guide, rather than a verbatim mandate.

Keep these in mind:

Be as objective as possible. It’s difficult to evaluate yourself clearly. Invite others into the process.
Your SWOT is a snapshot of today. Use it to plan where you want to go tomorrow.
Be precise in your language. This is not the time for ambiguity.
Think sound bites. Words and short sentences, not paragraphs.

This is also a great team-building exercise. It will be valuable to you to hear your team’s perspective. If you’re really brave, ask some clients and trusted vendors. You will probably be surprised by at least a couple things that you hear.

What annual check ups do you use? How do you create your plan for the upcoming year?

The Age of Conversation is off and running!

July 17, 2007

103 authors from 10 different countries across the globe One theme. 103 different perspectives and insights. That's the Age of Conversation. And it's on sale right now.

Lots of smarts. And lots of heart. All the proceeds will be donated to Variety, The Children's Charity.

In 48 hours, we have sold 382 copies and made $3,071.91 for the charity. Now that's news worth spreading! Our goal for this project is $10,000.

In the coming weeks, I hope you're going to hear a lot more about this book and the insights contained between the covers. I also hope you'll be following along with your own copy of The Age of Conversation.

Read about the book's launch here and here and here….UPDATED!

AdAge
Social Computing
Media Post's Marketing Daily
Media Daily News
Marketing Profs Daily Fix
Fast Company
BusinessWeek
PSFK
Des Moines Register

Stay tuned for updates here!

Age of Conversation collaboration doesn’t end with the writing

July 15, 2007

As we inch towards the official launch of the Age of Conversation tomorrow morning, I'm struck by the enormity of the project. When Gavin and I conceived it, it was a bit of a "jump and THEN look to see if there's water in the pool" adventure. But along the way, many people have stepped up to take on part of the load or to create a new aspect of the book.

This is my thank you note (otherwise, my mom gets very uptight) to all of them. If I've missed someone, I apologize and would love to update my list.

The authors. Without them, as we said in the very beginning, the book is just Gavin and myself. While Gav's pretty entertaining and smart, I think adding the other 101 was very good thinking on our part.

Many of them have already posted about the book several times — driving more authors in the beginning and now, more sales.

Some early buzz. Arun Rajagopal took time to visit every author's blog and give us an introduction to their work and the person behind that work.

The dedication. Thanks to CK for allowing us to dedicate the book to her momma, a woman who understood the power and responsibility of conversations long before it was the rage.

The map. Matt Dickman gave up a lot of free time to create a google map (it's included in the book) of all the authors' locations.

The cover. David Armano brought his vast skills to bear on capturing the essence of the book.

The printer. Roger Anderson gave Gavin and I a "behind the scenes" tutorial on printing options and was very willing to get his hands dirty in the process. He saved us a ton of time and heartache.

The official buzz. One of the great things about writing a book with marketing people is there are lots of people with skills you can use. David Reich has been a preeminent PR pro (say that 5 times fast) for years. He wrote releases, made pitch calls, scored AdAge and other media's attention and is working with all the authors to identify who in their local market to pitch.

And of course….my biggest and deepest thanks to my friend Gavin Heaton. He is about as rock solid of a human being as I have ever met. He's brilliant, warm, giving and never got ruffled by any of the ruckus and workload that Age of Conversation brought along with all the good stuff. I am honored to know and partner with him. I lucked out.

Thanks to everyone who is a part of this in any way. I'm honored to be in this with you.

The cherry on top

July 14, 2007

David Reich of My 2 cents recently tagged me for the eight things about me meme. Many months ago, there was a five things about me meme going around that I got tagged for. You have to give the blogosphere credit – we're always trying to get even better.

So….from the past, here are my first five:

I’ve crossed the threshold of Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971.

I could be President of Venezuela (I was born down there while my parents did an overseas stint for work. )

I hung out with the movie star Ashley Judd for a weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

I really dislike feet. Don’t like to look at them or touch them. Have no idea why. But, if I ever were the President of Venezuela – I would outlaw sandals.

You can find me in the TV special (now on DVD) of a very famous country music duo.

Now, for the cherry on the top….another three.

I always read the last couple chapters of a book first. Yes, even mysteries and whodunits. By 12:30 am next Friday, I will know if Harry Potter dies or not. I promise, I won't tell. I love knowing the ending and then learning from how the author weaves the truths into the story telling. This is especially fascinating in a good murder mystery.

In a previous career, I was the head of a detective agency. Okay, I was about 9 or 10. But ala Encyclopedia Brown, we were open for business and serious about our craft. I believe we solved two minor mysteries (which I am pretty sure our parents engineered) but we earned enough money to hit the DQ.

Only counting the ones that have hospitalized me….I have had about 30 kidney stones. The doctors have done every test imaginable but they can't figure out why. So I drink a lot of water and take an odd mix of pills including a seaweed supplement. Good news…the odd blend seems to be working.

How about lingerie-clad women wading through bubbles?

July 13, 2007

When Steven Singer asked himself what 21-30 year old men wanted…that was the answer he came up with — what about lingerie-clad women wading through bubbles. Hard to argue with his logic.

In fact, Singer is betting the store on it. Steven Singers Jewelers is quite the departure from traditional jewelry advertising. Their promotions include in store bubble bath parties (yes, with the aforementioned scantily-clad women), chicken wing eating contests and giveaways on Howard Stern's radio show.

Recently covered in the WSJ online, Steven Singer Jewelers is proving that you don't have to look or sound like a Harlequin novel to sell diamonds. (Our friend Derrick Daye is quoted in the article.)

He started out with the billboards "I hate Steven Singer" throughout the metro. That drove people to the website, where they read stories from men who hated Steven Singer because they had to give up their great bachelor lives and now they're married.

Unconventional? I'll say. Attention-getting? You tell me. Sales are up 15-20% annually since he adopting his advertising strategy.

Singer is perfectly content that his "boorish" campaign offends some people. He's not trying to be everything to everyone. He knows exactly who he wants in his store and he's talking their language.

Risky? Sure. Smart branding that most people would be too skittish to do? I think so.

What do you think about Singer's brand? The upside is obvious – great sales. Is there a downside?

No one has ever asked us that

July 12, 2007

That's one of the sentences I love to hear in a new business conversation.

And we hear it pretty often. Why? Do we know some secret about their business? No. Are we experts in their category? Maybe, but that's not where the questions come from.

The questions come from not worrying about the sale. And not already having the next sentence lying in wait in our brains, to drive home a point about us.

They come from listening like a detective, trying to solve a case. Following leads in the conversation and tugging at every loose end, until we unravel whole story. It comes from wanting to understand and help them grow their business, not win the account.

We ask a lot of why questions. "Why are you in a hurry to build sales all of a sudden?"

We ask a lot of what if questions. "What if we increase inquiries by 25%? How will you handle that volume increase?"

We ask a lot of questions which frankly are none of a marketing agency's business. But we do believe they are our business. We believe agencies who stop at creating solid marketing tools are missing the boat. We have to help the client anticipate what's coming next. And often that comes from understanding what has come before.

We probably don't always ask them as delicately as we should. Instead, we ask with intense curiosity and enthusiasm. It's a way we demonstrate how we're different. It's a way we add more value.

I've always believed that one characteristic early adopters have is curiosity. Most people reading blogs today are early adopters. So…how do you use your curiosity to help grow your clients business? What are one or two questions you could ask that would inspire a prospect to say "no one's ever asked us that before."

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