Blog Policy

Adjudication is a Reality

 It seems appropriate, now that there are more than a few posts and comments on our site and we have some real-lifeexperience to go on, to comment on the feedback we have received so far and why many comments do not get posted. We are trying very hard to approve comments regardless of content. The only restrictions we have been placing on comments to date are focused around honesty and willingness to share information. To date, we have been in the practice of rejecting comments that are blatantly nonsensical, have a non-functional email or list a site for the sale of fake items (usually stated as such in the title).

Ideally, in the blogging world, it would be nice to just approve all comments for publication as they come in. Having a Word Press based website, one of the benefits is that we get to pass on all comments that come in before they get posted. As business owners we have standards, both for our readers and ourselves. One of the benefits of business ownership is that you get to decide who you will associate with.

As stated, it would be great to be able to just approve all comments as they arrive. That’s the “blue sky” intention. In reality we have clouds and a few of those have arrived. In reality, we need to worry about our branding and what our potential readers may be exposed to when they come onto the site. All we ask in return is that you observe a few courtesies.

Given that, we have received a few comments that were simply a string of nonsense words having no discernible meaning or any other demonstrable connection to the entry in question. The intent of the response appeared to be blatant self-promotion, offering no other value or insight. We didn’t feel it was fair to post these.

We have received a considerable number of comments from readers who have included an email address that does not pass our simple return email test. In this case, as in all comments received, the email given is copied and pasted into an email with the subject heading, test, and if our ISP returns it as undeliverable the comment is not posted. The bad news is we have lost some good comments and better questions to this policy. The good news is that the trashed comments can be restored if the person in question so desires. All it will cost is an email that works. The bonus is that the comment gets acknowledged and the question will be answered. Promote your business if you wish, just offer some value in return.

It is company policy that people who have a legitimate question or comment will not be subjected to a long string of sales letters or other email harassment. That’s a trust issue and the only way to find out the truth behind that statement is to provide that working email.

We have received a number of comments with links attached to advertise a website. These have been posted on occasion when the comment was particularly useful or there was a good question and the site offered seemed to offer a straight forward value. For those where the seeming intent leaned toward self-promotion we tried to draw the line at those sites that promoted cheap knock-offs of name brand goods and mentioned that fact on their Home page. For us that was a branding issue, ours. We simply did not want to be associated with such sites. We may have been guilty of some misjudgments early on, but c’est la vie.

Well, there it is. There are no other rules, as the saying goes. Tell us what you think. Follow these simple guidelines to become part of the discussion.

Price and Value

If it isn’t true…Don’t go there!

Price is rarely the only determinant when making a buying decision. Value often carries the day in the final analysis. That is why things have to be sold rather than just offered for sale. Like any other comparative situation it pays to compare apples to apples when making a buying decision. It often pays to work with a salesperson to sort this out but be careful to keep that sales person on the narrow path of your best interest when they tout their product and position it relative to the market. If you’re that salesperson don’t go there.

A prospect’s best interest is defined by the best price for the most benefits available. They need to make sure that what they are getting for their money is what they need and want. That’s value. What they need and want is not necessarily what they will be offered by most of your competition. Be different, be out front with prices.

There are a lot of factors to consider when weighing a final decision on a purchase. They aren’t as numerous or as complicated as you might think

Your pricing page and materials should be designed to help a prospective customer make the decision that’s best for them. Not everyone will be a good fit for your product or service. Trust that you don’t really want to talk to everybody. Many people who aren’t a good fit will eliminate themselves if they have good information. This will save you the time you would have lost trying to close people who weren’t well qualified prospects in the first place. You can also expect an improvement in your customer data base which will show up as improvements in customer service numbers. This will result from not having those people in your customer data base who were convinced against their better judgment to become a customer. If it’s something they never really wanted to do, they will tend not to be a happy customer. You don’t need the aggravation or that future Negative Nellie running amok in public.

Provide them, all who come, with the simplest explanation of your pricing, and then think about the related questions they would have at this juncture. Don’t sell, explain. There is a difference. What you give people shouldn’t look like an invoice. Just the facts, ma’am, was Jack Webb’s great line from the old TV show, Dragnet. It’s difficult to resist falling into sales mode when explaining your prices. If you can’t fulfill your product or service online and there are valid reasons why you need to “talk”, point out the value, before giving a final price, just say so and explain why, clearly. Be direct. Be honest. Be thorough. You have a great chance to present your best answer, and there always is one.

Avoid the tendency to present the rosy version of your pricing. Present what is real, what people will likely encounter. Real people buy your product(s) or service(s). Your pricing should reflect the real world people live in. People can find out from others today almost anything that you might potentially tell them. Make sure what you tell people contributes to their perception of you as an expert in your field. That’s hard to do that if you have reservations. Be all in for your prospects. Anything less will be detectable by your prospect and even though you may close the sale your future customer relations will be damaged. Not a good place to be.

Share an experience. Ask a question. Make a comment. Simply register and let ’er rip.

Don’t Avoid TV Commercials

The Dreaded Commercial

You wouldn’t be the only one if you confessed that during TV commercials  you ran to the kitchen for a snack.  Nor would you be the only one if you said you flip through other channels to see what’s going on.

Stop doing that!  Those repetitive commercials are there for one reason only. They work. And because they work, you can use them as your course in Commercial Marketing 101.

Paying attention to strategies that work and then modifying them so they work for your business is being a savvy marketer.

Listen to the words they use; the coolers; the benefits they focus on. What is the ratio between benefits and features?

Companies that run ongoing commercials have large marketing budgets which afford them access to top marketers.  Capitalize on that by learning from them what works in today’s market. You may even be able to deduce what works in your market

Consider first of all who their target market is. If it is the same as yours, then watch the commercial. If your market is different, then move on to a commercial that fits.

Don’t forget that different geographical areas will run different commercials to suit their demographics.  Pay attention. Professional marketers for big companies often have the research to back demographic decisions. You may be able to determine from the ad whether enough of your target market exists in your area to make locally targeted marketing worthwhile. After all, there isn’t much use spending time and money locally if your target group(s) isn’t there in sufficient numbers.

Maybe there is a particular station that speaks to your market. Find it; learn from It.; copy it, and if possible, use it