Marketing Quotes

Letters with indented paragraphs, underlined words, and portions of the text set in a second color outpull plain letters. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

Letters with a lot of "bells and whistles"--arrows, fake handwritten notes in the margins, spot illustrations, highlighting--can increase response when mailed to low- and middle-class consumer audiences. Avoid these techniques when writing to business executives or upper-class consumers. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

A package with a separate letter and brochure does better than a combination letter/brochure. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

People expect a "real" company to have printed product literature. Anyone can spend $50 on letterhead and business cards and call themselves a corporation. "But a brochure proves you are in business and shows you're more than a fly-by-night operation. Products that require a brochure are seldom sold in a single step. A brochure comes in somewhere between initial contact and final sale. A brochure aimed at busy executives should probably be shorter. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

Large picture at the top, headline underneath, body copy in two or three columns under the headline, logo and address in the bottom right-hand corner. Setting the headline in big, bold type. The coupon should appear in the lower right-hand corner of the ad. If you want people to respond to your ad by phoning, set the phone number in large type at the end of the body copy. Full-color gets more attention and gives a better impression than black and white. The simpler the layout, the better. Type should be set in black against a clear white background. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

Photos make better visuals than drawings. "They are more real, more believable, than illustrations. Photos should be sharp, clear, and simple. Professional photography is expensive but necessary in advertising. [2005] - Robert W. Bly

Adding humor to advertisements increases sales. [2004] - Allan Pease

The Four Habits of Marketing Success: 1. Specialize in one area. 2. Be different from all the rest / competitive advantage (speedy delivery, long-term durability of a product, the location of your business, the personalities of the key people who sell and deliver your product or service, etc.) 3. Determine your best potential customers. 4. Concentrate and focus all of your marketing and sales efforts and energies on those specific customers you have identified as most likely to benefit from what you sell. [2004] - Brian Tracy

Any promotional items you send should be items of value that they can use, like a refrigerator magnet or a notepad. [2004] - Gary Keller

Don't keep changing the gifts or customizing them. It's the same one over and over again. Bigger is better. Something like a microwave oven, a DVD player, automatic coffee maker, etc. They key is to use the same item for the next few years. [2003] - Darryl Davis

Farming is designed to generate future business. You should not start farming unless you have at least 500 people. Farming is more focused on doing direct mail. Delegate to someone the job of mailing 1,000 pieces a month. The main reason most farming efforts fail is lack of consistency. Eventually, after about a year or so, you'll start to get a steady flow of business from your farm. [2003] - Darryl Davis

The concept of perceived value: people have to think you're very successful. It's better to have one expensive-looking brochure than five shoddy ones. [2003] - Darryl Davis

Get a professional photo. This is very important. [2003] - Darryl Davis

People must see your message five to six times before they'll remember it. [2003] - Darryl Davis

Make sure you put your photo on your business card. Your photo should also be on everything--letterhead, envelopes, thank-you cards--along with your logo and slogan. [2003] - Darryl Davis

You can do a flat 20% referral fee or a sliding scale. For instance, 10% if they just give you a name and telephone number but no real information or 20% if you get a name and number plus a whole background on these people. You could also do a sliding scale of 10% on the first two leads a month that someone is sending you, then jump it up to 20%, as an incentive. [2003] - Darryl Davis

Give a gift for every referral you receive. This could be chocolate, popcorn, or a clock. [2003] - Darryl Davis

The key with a newsletter, though, is to be consistent. If you're going to launch one, you must send it out regularly. Quarterly is probably the best way to go. [2003] - Darryl Davis

We do spend on PR or public relations, but we do not spend on what is known as formal advertising. [2002] - Robert T. Kiyosaki

There are only three ways to increase your business: 1. Increase the number of clients. 2. Increase the average size of the sale per client. 3. Increase the number of times clients return and buy again. [2000] - Jay Abramham