The Tale of Two Dentists...
Dr. Namel and Dr. Ivory are two Dentists located across the street from each other in a high traffic area that is surrounded by affluent neighborhoods.
Both Dentists were certain that having the right location would mean automatic success for their businesses. To their dismay, patients were not lined up at their doors. Business was not booming.
In fact, potential patients pass by them everyday unaware of their choice of a neighborhood Dentist. Some prospects are vaguely aware that there is a Dentist in the neighborhood, but can not recall the name of the Dentist.
After all, they have not been given a reason to take notice.
Dr. Namel decides to spend his whole advertising budget on an Ad in the community newspaper. The Ad results in an occasional trickle of new patients, but will never bring Dr. Namel all the patients he can handle.
Dr. Namel never receives a return on his investment because his Ads are not effective.
His Ad simply has a picture of him and his contact information. There is no call to action or an effective headline. Furthermore, the community newspaper doesn't directly reach his target market.
Dr. Ivory knows that an Ad in a community newspaper will be a waste of money. She wants to reach her target market directly and exclusively. Her goal is to get the most bang for her buck, while positioning herself as THE neighborhood Dentist.
Dr. Ivory decides to use Postcards to market her business.
She knows that she needs to stand out and be remembered. Her Postcard will be competing against all of the other mail that her prospects receive on a daily basis. Yes, her Postcard has a better chance of being read than a letter in an envelope. But it still has to pass her prospect's 'so what?' and 'what's in it for me?' tests.
Dr. Ivory accomplishes this by unleashing the power of Postcards. She makes her Postcards extraordinary by creating Postcard Newsletters.
Dr. Ivory's Postcard Newsletter has helpful dental care tips on the back. The front of her Postcard Newsletter features her current special. She brands her Postcard Newsletter with her logo, contact information, and tagline.
Dr. Ivory sends the 'Dental Digest' to her prospects on a monthly basis.
Her prospects look forward to receiving the Dental Digest every month. It stands out amongst their other mail, and they instantly recognize it due to the consistent layout and design of the Postcard Newsletter.
They enjoy reading the dental care tips and save every issue. They even show their friends the Postcard Newsletter from their neighborhood Dentist.
Each Postcard Newsletter builds more trust and credibility. Now when prospects drive by, they look over at Dr. Ivory's office and remember the Postcard Newsletters they are receiving from their neighborhood Dentist.
When it is time to visit the Dentist, they automatically know to call their neighborhood Dentist, Dr. Ivory. Who else would they trust their dental care to?
When they are asked for a referral to a Dentist, they automatically recommend their neighborhood Dentist, Dr. Ivory. Who else would they wholeheartedly recommend?
Dr. Ivory now has all the patients she can handle. She also has an extra bonus: constant referrals, and patients singing her praises.
Meanwhile, Dr. Namel looks over at Dr. Ivory's office and wonders why she always has a constant stream of patients.
After all, they are both in the same location surrounded by the same prospects.
Dr. Namel wonders why Dr. Ivory is experiencing much more success. He feels that he should have all the patients he can handle, since he is the only one with the monthly Ad in the community newspaper.
Everyday, Dr. Namel looks over at Dr. Ivory and wonders what is the secret to her tremendous success.
Everyday, Dr. Ivory welcomes new patients and enjoys seeing patients who keep coming back. She has established a relationship with her patients before they ever walk through her door.
Dr. Ivory looks over at Dr. Namel's office and it looks deserted. She wonders why he keeps pouring money down the drain on an ineffective Ad in the newspaper.
Dr. Namel's Ad costs ten times more than Dr. Ivory's Postcard Newsletter.
Yet Dr. Ivory's results are twenty times more effective.
Dr. Ivory thinks about her secret to success and smiles. She can't help but smile at the fact that a postcard has so much power. And it definitely gives more bang for the buck.
Copyright 2004 Black Unicorn Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Black Unicorn Communications helps Independent Service Professionals attract more clients in less time. Visit http://www.blackunicorninc.com for a FREE Business Success Toolkit, including the 7 day e-course: 7 Steps To More Clients
Business Systems that work for anyone, are a fundamental necessity... Read More
Easy Direct Marketing Methods for Insurance AgenciesThis Month: Strategies for... Read More
Remember the baseball cards kids traded while... Read More
Don't want your direct mail to end up in the... Read More
We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales... Read More
1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than... Read More
Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are... Read More
Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can generate... Read More
What does an old Russian joke have... Read More
Half my immediate family trained in Judo and excelled in... Read More
Part 1 of this series described five critical components for... Read More
1. Focus your fax marketing on one objectiveFax is a... Read More
When studying the demographics of an area for a business... Read More
A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:At least three to four Mail... Read More
If you are operating a business from your home and... Read More
My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she... Read More
Yes, you can fill a workshop when spending is down... Read More
We live in an unprecedented era of communication. Because of... Read More
Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle... Read More
Have you ever wondered why the phones aren't ringing the... Read More
BREAK FROM HO-HUM MARKETING ? IT'S TOO BORING! Once you... Read More
Are you still waiting for business to turn around before... Read More
If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to... Read More
TOP 10 TIPS TO GET YOU MARKETING TO SUCCESS ON... Read More
With all the shuffling that's been seen in the search... Read More
The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is... Read More
How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . .... Read More
Social scientists have proven that people experience what they come... Read More
Yellow Page users are the hottest of all prospects ?... Read More
Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After... Read More
Whether you are already running your own business, or still... Read More
Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was... Read More
"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to... Read More
I met a lady who said she received a notice... Read More
My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she... Read More
What if -- every time you had a networking appointment... Read More
"Advertising doesn't work." I hear it from my clients all... Read More
Whether it's a downloadable report available from your website, a... Read More
Do you have a list of marketing ideas that you'd... Read More
Marketing is a business process about which much is written,... Read More
"Goals are dreams with deadlines." -Diana Scharf HuntWhen clients come... Read More
One commonly overlooked method of advertising offline is flyers. Flyers... Read More
Your market is who you want to reach. Your customer.... Read More
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting... Read More
Is your marketing department taking advantage of MOM and MRM?... Read More
1. Mail to a different list Your list is the... Read More
1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More
If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More
How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More
Are you trying to promote your business with a tiny... Read More
My childhood was my foundation for how I write and... Read More
One of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways of... Read More
If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v.... Read More
There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet... Read More
1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than... Read More
Developing the questionnaire is undoubtedly the most important part of... Read More
We all DO judge a book by its cover, and... Read More
Do you have all the business you could possibly want... Read More
We have been talking about choosing groups to participate in... Read More
If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or... Read More
The highly entertaining Donald Trump's search for an apprentice turned... Read More
The writing of good classified ads truly is an art... Read More
Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you... Read More
What is enthusiasm?Well, consulting good ol' Mr. Webster, you could... Read More
I've heard a lot of people lament the fact that... Read More
A while back a small business owner paid me a... Read More
Marketing |