The official launch date for my new book, How to Give Your Business an Extreme Marketing Makeover, is September 2010. And it looks like we’re right on schedule.

The simple, logical 5-step process eliminate I describe in this book transforms tired, worn-out, inefficient marketing and into a highly effective process that produces better, more predictable and profitable results.

Here’s a glimpse of what I cover:

• Why every business and every organization needs an extreme marketing makeover… TODAY!
• How to replace unnecessary and expensive (and oftentimes wasteful) marketing with strategic marketing
• Why the ultimate goal must be to implement marketing strategies, tactics, and activities that directly support your sales process
• How to shorten your sales cycle, streamline your sales process, and eliminate points of constraint by “working backwards”
• How to determine the best marketing for the job
• And much more!

Available soon at: Amazon.com, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram for only $14.95.

In his foreword to the book, my friend and colleague Winton Churchill of The Churchill Method says, “Gil Effron truly connects the dots between marketing strategy and sales process in a way that most business owners and marketing professionals never stop to think about. You’ll not only gain new insights from this book, but you’ll also be amazed at the transformation you’ll see in your business as a result conducting your own extreme marketing makeover.”

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Email Marketing You Can Trust

I don’t know about you, but I get dozens of emails a day containing links to one thing or another.

I received this link last week from a friend. In his email, he said he thought Sony created this for use at a Sony executive meeting. But he wasn’t able to verify the source.

As I dug deeper, I was able to ascertain that Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman researched it, but I couldn’t find a direct connection to Sony.

Regardless of the source, the reason I wanted to share it with you is that I believe it is absolutely profound. In fact, the first time I viewed it, I sat quietly afterward for 10 minutes or so just pondering the implications to my business and the way we all do business.

I mention this because I think you’ll want to watch it at a time when you can sit quietly, too, and think about what it means for your business and your future.

By the way, the reason I include it here is that a 10-Day Marketing Makeover – or any marketing planning by anyone – must take into consideration the challenges of changing technology and the opportunities it presents.

It also reconfirms to me that continuing to do the same thing (from a marketing and sales process perspective) and expecting a different result does not hold any promise for future success and prosperity.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and revelations with me. Remember, I didn’t create it. I’m just the messenger.

The businesses and organizations that do the best job at marketing realize they’re not just selling products or services. They realize they must sell solutions.

These are the same companies that don’t wait for clients to find them. If you think clients are looking for you, peek out the front door. Chances are there’s not a line of hot prospects begging to buy from you.

Add longer sales cycles and more competition, a tougher-than-ever economy, and you know you need to deploy new strategies to help you stand out from the competition.

Whether it works for you or against you, clients and prospects know more than ever. In fact, some know more about your business and your products than you do. In addition, clients and prospects are busier than ever, and they are less patient.

What does this mean to you? Your prospects and clients would say to you, if they could look you right in the eye, “We want to know what is in it for us.” In other words, if it does not provide them with a solution, make money for them, or save them time today, they are uninterested.

How do you respond? You have to understand your clients better than ever. Although they may purchase identical products, they, themselves, are not the same. People buy for different reasons than they did in the past, too. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that convenience is more important than price.

In addition, you have to work harder to turn prospects into clients. The world has not seen a truly innovative mousetrap in a long time.

You must create the demand instead of just filling it. You need to be long and strong on insights into your client base, and light on order taking. The one thing you cannot do is waste anyone’s time. When prospects sense this, they are gone for good — standing in someone else’s line.

There is a positive side: When you focus on the needs of your clients and prospects and provide real-world, bottom-line solutions, you discover that people and organizations respond.

You may be pleasantly surprised to discover something else that happens when people and organizations see real value and real solutions. They make a mental buy-in that may even preclude the empty, low-price offers of your competitors.

This is why targeted marketing that promises solutions, entices your prospects, educates your clients helps you make the sale.

Careful, it’s a trick question. Think about your answer carefully before you inadvertently blurt out the wrong answer.

Is the goal of marketing to make a sale or generate leads? Is it to build client loyalty or create one-on-one relationships with your clients? Is it to encourage prospects to visit your store, visit your website, or take some action? In a way, it’s all of these, and it’s none of these.

The way I see it, regardless of who you are, what you are selling, or where you are in the marketing process, your goal is to motivate your prospects into taking the next step!

For prospects, that next step could be requesting additional information. It could be calling for color swatches, completing a survey, or accepting an in-home or in-office demonstration.

For clients, the next step could be to purchase again, increase their ongoing order quantity, make an annual purchase commitment, recommend your product or service, or attend a training program.

This isn’t rocket science, just basic logic. Before you land on the moon, you do more than count backwards on the launch pad. You need to plan and consider every step, from building the rocket, programming the computer guidance system, and fueling the rocket. The focus is always on moving ahead one next step.

You want to move your prospects logically from the first step to the next in the same manner. When prospects respond to an initial solicitation, this qualifies them for the next step. They are encouraged to “buy in.” This makes the next step easier for them — and for you.

Sometimes you can lead prospects through all 99 steps in a single marketing message or sales encounter. In other cases, you may need a single activity or event to convince your prospects take a miniscule step.

In most selling scenarios, there are three or four logical steps that all prospects move through before they make their decision to buy from you. Take a close look at what your prospects have to do before they become clients.

Then, let your marketing and sales activities reflect these, taking prospects logically through each step. The first step may be requesting information. Next could be seeing a demonstration, receiving a personal sales call, or receiving a CD or video presentation.

Very likely, you’ll discover that there are one or two steps absolutely critical for your success. When you have maintained a logical progression through each of the earlier steps, the big steps are easier to accomplish. You are controlling the process strategically and absolutely single-mindedly. Your bank account is proof of the viability of your strategic plan.

Think about your prospects ascending a staircase, each step taking them closer to buying. You can’t ask them to take two steps at a time or run up the stairs. They could stumble and fall, and you would lose them for good. Instead, turn that stairway into an escalator, moving them smoothly and effortlessly to each next plateau.

Low price has always been a strong motivator. In today’s world, there always seems to be someone with a lower price. But the fact remains that there’s just so low you can go.

So, you have a couple of choices. You can either join the battle of lowering prices — that no one ever wins –  or you can add more value and help your clients see beyond the price tag.

Instead of jumping onto the nickel-and-dime battlefield, look seriously at ways you can justify holding your price – even increasing it. You can do this by adding value, giving more, educating, and becoming indispensable as a resource or provider of products or services!

Sure, no matter what you do, some people will only buy on low price. You won’t change them.

But others can be pulled gently away from seeing only the price tag. They can be taught to appreciate the extra value you bring. When you add free delivery, a free checkup, a free extended warranty, a gift, free gift wrapping, free training, a 30-day money back guarantee, you demonstrate real value that enhances your clients’ lives.

One of the greatest values is to provide education — before, during, and after the sale. This shows your prospects and clients that you take responsibility for their wellbeing. Sure, there are shoppers who pick your brain, mistreat you, and then go somewhere else to buy on price. Many, though, will stick with you as long-term, devoted fans.

In today’s world, the most important intangible we have is time. Our lives are too full, too busy. Consumers want to recapture time. Spending a little more in return for value, service, and peace of mind – knowing they will not have to battle with the low-price leader later on – is a great motivator.

When you take responsibility for your client’s wellbeing by calling to make sure they sent in the warranty card, making sure they had their summer checkup, or by going beyond the call of duty, you win the war.

Have you ever “saved a client’s life” by being available when no one else was? By shipping when no one else could? By being there when no one else was available? So, are they loyal? You bet! Are they your best referral source? Every time!

The more you tout value, the easier it is for prospects and clients to abandon their “low cost” ways and seek you out. They want a reason, too. Low price isn’t the answer. Value is.

With computer graphics so readily available, everyone has become a designer — or so it seems. Fancy borders, a variety of typefaces, styles, clip art, borders, and drop shadows come right out of the computer into your marketing materials.

The ease of accessibility of these design elements often brings with it the temptation to use everything available.

Yielding to this temptation is fine — as long as you don’t try to use it all on one marketing piece or message. Follow this very simple, effective design strategy called “Choose one!”

• Choose one typeface style for your headlines.
• Choose one typeface style (the same or an alternate style) for your body copy.
• Choose one style of border.
• Choose one thickness of line for boxes or rules.
• Choose one style of clip art, photographs, or graphics.

Then, stick with what you choose!

If you decide to use Garamond for your headline, stick with Garamond for all your headlines and subheads. You may use Garamond Extra Bold for the main headline, Garamond Bold italic for callouts, and Garamond Medium in all caps for headlines, and so forth.

Then, keep all of your main headlines in the same type size. Do the same for your bold italic callouts. Avoid bouncing around with many different design elements — be consistent.

Many of the best designers are the best simply because they show restraint and discipline by applying this principle.

The beauty of this approach is that it’s so simple. Try it the next time you design something on your own and see how it gives you a more professional look.

Personalization in marketing messages assumes that you know something about the people you’re marketing to. It can be an effective way to keep clients coming back, but be careful how you use it.

Here is a simple and safe strategy. A greater amount of personalization is best suited for house lists or with clients who have purchased from you before. After all, you talk with them, and they talk to you. Naturally, they expect that you know many things about them and their buying habits. When you become familiar or even chummy with them, it is because they opened the door first.

Conversely, use less personalization when you haven’t previously done business with a prospect. If you use too much personalization with people you don’t know, your prospects may see this as an invasion of privacy. It’s similar to assuming you can be on a first-name basis with the president and CEO of your biggest client before you’ve been formally introduced.

Sometimes, in a sales letter or other direct marketing materials, less personalization is actually more convincing than too much. The key is to write the letter as if you were writing to someone you know. Typically, in this case, you don’t use the person’s name in every paragraph. Nor do you make frequent references to specific personal data, unless it is relevant.

At the right point in your correspondence, you might say, “Thanks, John. As always, we sincerely appreciate your interest and support.”

Some new prospects may not care about personalization. They may simply want you to get right to the point. They only want to know about your product, service, or offer. If they’re not going to care whether or not you address them by name, why invest in the extra money?

When you use personalization wisely, it’s powerful and it works well. It attracts attention. It increases readership.

When you create and deploy a sales or marketing message of any kind, address it to the people who work at those companies, not to the companies themselves. Ultimately, a person makes the decision to buy; “the company” doesn’t.

When you deploy an offer to a company, the least favorable way to address your solicitation is: Dear Acme Company. Who gets it? The janitor? The president?

A somewhat better approach is to address your marketing message to: Dear Purchasing Agent. You are getting warmer. At least you’re directing the mail to the right corner of the building.

Naturally, the best approach is to address it by name: Clark Kent, Purchasing Agent. There is no doubt that you’ll reach the real Superman in the company — the one who will be making the buying decision.

The purchasing agent may need to get approval from others, but it’s other individuals he confers with, not “the company.”

As you develop your strategy and write your copy, picture your prospects. Imagine them sitting neatly in a row on top of your computer screen. Glance up every now and then. Call them by name; get to know them.

By the way, mailing to a household is very different. After all, the family is a very different assembly of people from a business or organization. Family members set priorities. They talk and compromise. The family ultimately does make decisions together.

It’s always best to walk first, then run — especially when a financial investment is at stake. This is particularly true when it comes to acquiring new marketing lists. Before you purchase or rent the entire list and market to every prospect, acquire a representative sampling of the list, and put it to the test.

The larger the sampling, the greater your level of confidence about the response you’ll achieve across the board.

Mail or email your solicitation and evaluate response. If response is less than you typically receive from your current, active list, you have learned a valuable lesson. While it may make sense to test again, you now have a mandate to move to the next list and the next test. If response is greater than you typically receive from your current list, you have just found a gold mine. Acquire the rest of the list and put it to work.

It is easy to test two or more lists simultaneously. Simply tag the various lists you acquire and merge them together. As responses — either inquiries or orders — come in, ask the prospect or client for the code printed on the mailer, and tabulate the results.

Naturally, the offer you make in your solicitation influences response.

So, in this testing phase, you may wish to mail to your test group at the same time you mail to your current list. In this way, you will have a direct comparison of the effectiveness of the new lists against the current list.

The better able you are to define your target client, the better your chances of developing a list or database that will help you reach them.

For consumer lists, you want to be alert to all the details pertaining to geography, household income, age, gender, number of children, profession, hobbies, and special interests.

For business lists, determine the appropriate industries you want to reach. Wherever you can, narrow the target to a specific segment within a given industry. Based on your current client data – including the size of the business, annual sales, number of employees, number of branch locations, and so on – you can come close to creating a description of “the ideal client.”

Dig into the information you have. Look at job titles. For example, refine engineers into civil, chemical, or mechanical. Narrow physicians into groups of dermatologists, pediatricians, or oral surgeons.

With your criteria settled, you are in a better position to know what you are looking for when evaluating the potential of a new list and purchasing it. You have a benchmark. Now, give your criteria to a professional list broker and ask them to search through the myriad private lists that are available. Here’s what they’re looking for – and what you should look for as well.

First, look for recent purchasing trends. There’s probably no better way to ascertain the value of a list than by looking at recent trends and activity. When you look to see just how recently purchases were made in a business category similar to yours, you can learn a lot about the viability of the list’s potential performance.

Second, look at frequency of purchases by the people and companies on the list. Of course, many purchases are always a good thing.

Third, determine how much, on average, clients spend on their purchases. If your product or service is priced high, be sure to substantiate that there is a track record of “big spenders” on the list.

Fourth, you want a list that is fresh — one that has been updated frequently so that it is as accurate as possible.

Fifth, always look for a combination of both old and new names. It is not usually advisable to request a selection of only the names that have recently been added to the list. Often, names that have been on a list for a long time, the ones representing steady buyers, can actually be the hottest names.

Sixth, consider this: How often have other marketers used the list? If it’s been used often, it may suggest that response is strong. It could also mean that it’s been overworked.

Finally, remember that the size of the list does not always matter. You want to choose the most targeted list — and the one that best fits your criteria — not necessarily the one with the most names on it.

Be willing to make the investment. A higher price may likely be there for a good reason: it’s a great list!

Now test the list.

Marketing lists can contain hundreds of thousands of names — even millions. So before you spend money on trying to reach the entire list, test a small percentage to determine how well it will perform for you. It’s always a prudent idea to test a new list against one that you know works for you already. Using codes on mailers, order forms, and shopping carts can help you track and compare the results.