, Kennedy shares ten rules he developed to help small business owners market their products and services more effectively. Although much has changed in where we go to find customers, the basic principles on how to sell have not changed. In No. B.S. Direct Marketing, 2006, Entrepreneur Press, Dan Kennedy shows small business owners why using mail-order marketing strategies that focus on getting the customer to take action now are more effective than traditional marketing techniques used by large companies.
In marketing, there are three essential components: the message, the market, and the medium used to convey the message. Most small business owners know how to sell their products or services in person. Thus, Kennedy believes small business owners can benefit from using these same sales techniques but modifying them to fit the media they are using to sell to customers in print.
Here are ten of Dan Kennedy’s marketing rules:
(1) There will always be an offer or offers
At the end of each marketing ad, there will always be an offer that is interesting and appealing to the customers you are trying to reach. An offer can look like this: Get your free pdf book by providing your full name and best email address.
(2) There will be a reason to respond right now.
Your goals is to get a person who is lazy and distracted to take immediate action.
(3) There will be clear instructions.
A confused client or customer will not act. Provide a clear, focused path that guides the customer or client to make contact with you by making a specific action such as a call or providing an email address and what will happen once they act.
(4) There will be tracking and measurement.
All business people need good data and facts to make intelligent decisions. Tracking the results of each ad is essential. The return on investment for each dollar spent must be tracked to measure which ads are working in which media and which ads and media aren’t working.
(5) Branding as By-Product.
The focus should be on results and sales, not branding. But branding could be an end-product of effective results-oriented marketing.
(6) There will be follow-up.
Each time a customer responds to an ad, identification data will be captured, such as name, phone number, address, email address and an offer to send something will be made to continue the relationship. After a first-time customer buys, efforts will be made to help that person become a repeat buyer.
(7) There will be strong copy.
Sales copy must be strong to get people’s attention. Subtlety does not sell.
(8) In general, it will look like mail-order advertising.
Accumulate mail order ads and ads at the back of magazines that look like mail-order ads and modify them for your ad copy. Study the mail-order marketing greats: E. Joseph Cossman, Gerardo Joffee, Robert Collier, and Joe Sugarman.
(9) Results rule, period.
If an ad sells, it is good. If it does not sell, it isn’t good. Opinions don’t matter.
(10) You will be a tough-minded disciplinarian and keep your business on a strict direct marketing budget for at least 6 months.
Anything that does not conform to the other nine rules, should be tossed. Next, decide and use a marketing plan. Dan Kennedy recommends his book, The Ultimate Marketing Plan as a guidebook to develop a marketing plan. Third, develop new ads and tools that conform with the prior nine rules. Fourth, measure your results. Fifth, read books, articles, and attend seminars about direct marketing.
You need to be using the right message, the right media, and be selling to the right market for your marketing plan to work best. Discover this by learning more about your best customers. Then match your message to your best customers. Use as many media sources as you can so that if there is a disruption in one, your message will still be reaching your customers. If you own a small business, taking the time to master direct marketing will likely be a very productive use of your time.
Rating: $$$$$ out of five. Excellent book. Dan Kennedy knows how to market goods and services for small businesses. But his usual market is conservative businessmen from the south and midwest. Be prepared to ignore comments directed to his core audience if you do not share those characteristics.
Copyright @ 2016 Christine Esser
This book was purchased, not a gift.
This book can be purchased on Amazon by clicking the first link below. Disclosure: We may receive a small commission from your purchase, but this will not raise the amount you pay. Thank you for reading this review. Comments are welcome. We have not received anything from the author or publisher in exchange for this review.
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