Isn’t Halloween wonderful?  Yes I know it’s a pagan celebration and some people object to that, but it’s wonderful that in this land of the free we can celebrate many diverse holidays. We can think many things and have differences of opinions. Especially with the upcoming election, we have much to be thankful for. Freedom is one thing to be especially grateful for.

Operation Gratitude is a group that sends care packages to our troops overseas. They are a non-profit volunteer organization that expresses gratitude to our troops by sending them things they can’t get where they are deployed. They accept delivery of items during September 8 – December 5 for their Holiday Drive and April 15 – May 15 for their Patriotic Drive.

So show your gratitude to our troops by sending them a little something this holiday season.

“One good letter from a satisfied customer may be all you need to convince the customer that he or she is

safe in buying from you,” claims Brian Tracy in his book Be a Sales Superstar.  He adds, “They [testimonials] are incredibly powerful in building mega-credibility.”

There are so many choices today for consumers that it takes mega-credibility to get sales today. Credibility is an appeal to quality and service. Mega-credibility is more than that. It is increased trust in your company – trust that puts you above what your competitors are offering.

The reason over 80% of qualified consumers don’t buy something is because they don’t want to make a mistake. Developing mega-credibility in your product or service helps customers overcome this fear. One way to do this is with Case Studies.

Case studies show satisfied clients using your product or service to solve a problem. This develops trust in your company as prospects see others like themselves happy with their purchase. Case studies build mega-credibility because they go beyond claims of great quality or wonderful customer service. They show real life examples of success.

Every company should have at least one case study for each product or service it offers. Many companies take this further and develop a case study for different features of products. This is especially helpful in up-selling. Highlighting a satisfied customer who purchased an add-on feature and found it became indispensable is priceless in getting more customers to purchase that feature.

If you don’t have a case study for a particular situation, contact me today. I’ll get it done expertly, efficiently, and effectively. It will probably cost a lot less than you imagine and will increase your sales for years to come. So call (435-229-2218) or e-mail julie@writethoughts.net me to start building your mega-credibility now.

1. Don’t rush. Many companies want their marketing materials yesterday. They are feeling the pinch of not having the right item when it is needed. However, it is better to do an excellent job correctly, than just a make-do-for-now effort.
2. Research. Research your subject and the person you are going to interview before you conduct the interview. This shows your subject that you have a genuine interest in them and makes them more comfortable. It also shows respect because you aren’t asking a lot of unnecessary questions. The story is told of a reporter who once asked Vivian Leigh what part she played in the movie Gone with the Wind. She ended the interview at that point. Don’t let that happen to you. Be prepared.
3. Pick a theme for your interview. When writing white papers and case studies, not everyone fits the profile of the ideal reader. You don’t want to interview the young, female receptionist of a small company when your ideal reader is a middle-aged, male executive. Interview the executive instead, even if you have to wait a few weeks because of his busy schedule.
4. Develop questions. Questions should be open-ended and encourage your speaker to open up to you. Don’t ask yes or no questions. Also plan to let people ramble and sometimes go onto another subject than the one you are interviewing them about altogether. They may surprise you with additional material. Especially with case studies, it really adds a human element to the story.
5. Interview your subject in person, if possible. Visiting in person gives you more information than over the telephone. You get access to non-verbal clues such as body language, style of clothing, hair color, etc. Also try to conduct the interview at your interviewee’s place of business. Furnishings such as style of décor and paintings may give you some opening questions to ease into the interview.
6. Establish rapport. Begin with general, get-to-know you type questions that ease into an interview. If something interesting about the person has been revealed through your research, ask them about it. Above all, listen more than you talk. Studs Terkel said, “I realized quite early in this adventure that interviews conventionally conducted were meaningless. The question-and-answer technique may be of value in determining favored detergent, but not in the discovery of men and women. It was simply a case of making conversation and listening.”
7. Focus on the speaker. Instead of waiting to ask your next question, concentrate on what the speaker is saying. When you really listen to the speaker, you get more information. You respond as if you are interested and new questions will occur to you during the discussion.
8. Record the interview. However, always take backup notes. As I once discovered to my chagrin, a tape recorder is not always reliable – especially if the interviewer (me) is technically challenged. Ask permission to record the interview and explain that is to help you get quotes correct.
9. Be respectful. Everyone is busy so stick to the time frame you scheduled. Also, when people talk they often add lots of ums and other “stuff” that they wouldn’t want to see in print. When typing the interview, use quotes verbatim, but without the ums and ahs.
10. Have fun. Interviewing is a good way to connect with others. So enjoy the experience.

Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams stated, “if you build it, he will come.” That might have worked in the movie, but “if you write it, they will read it,” doesn’t work with white papers.

The first step in getting someone to read your white paper is to determine who you are writing for.

This might sound obvious, but you probably don’t market to everyone. You want your readers to identify with your paper so they will read it all the way through. You don’t mention your company until the end, so having someone stop half way through is disappointing. The way to keep readers engaged to the very end is to identify your ideal client.

In the book Duct Tape Marketing, by John Jantsch, chapter 1 is titled “Identify Your Ideal Client.” Even before you determine your core marketing message or develop a logo, you need to determine your ideal client. Your core message and logo won’t resonate with customers if you don’t know who they are. The same holds true with white papers. Who is going to read your white paper? Will it be business executives or technicians? Are they part of large companies or smaller enterprises? Will the topic be familiar to readers or does your paper propose a new idea? All these questions are important to answer before you begin writing the paper.

The second step is to identify a problem or challenge that your ideal reader faces, and for which your product or service is the perfect solution. Read the rest of this entry »

This phrase comes from the practice of cows regurgitating grass held in one of their stomachs and re-chewing it for fun – which is a long process because cows don’t have much to do during the day. It can also mean to think deeply or to turn a problem over and over in your head.

It is in this second context that I am referring to chewing your cud and how to do it properly. You may think that a treatise on thinking isn’t much needed. But how often during the day do you really think about what you are doing? Most of us get up and go without thinking. Some of us make a plan and try to follow it, but most of us don’t include time for thinking in that plan.

This is because thinking is hard work. You may scoff at this statement, but consider the words of Henry Ford, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” Another thing he said is, “I want around me people who can solve problems, who can think up ideas. People who can dream and then develop the dream into a practical application; an idea man can make money with me, a fact man can’t.” So thinking is more than just regurgitating information. Thinking is synthesizing information to come up with solutions to problems and plans for the future. Leaders lead by first thinking.

Read the rest of this entry »