So this is John Smith's scenario when he comes to moving. He looks in the yellow pages where all of the different companies appear to be the same. They all have trucks, they all load and unload, they all do local and long distance, and they are all family operated and been in business since 1431 BC. They used to move with horses and chariots I guess.

 

So how would you do the ad different based on what you've learned? Well, in this case, we know what a lot of the problems are, but there's another issue at stake, which is that a lot of the prospects don't realize that these problems are problems. How would you know unless you've been burned before? Just like in OJ's trial. how would you even think to know anything about how gloves should fit or how blood should splatter? You wouldn't. In this case, we've got to bring the important, relevant issues to light for the prospect. We've got to become their advocate. So what about a headline like this to tap those hot buttons: "Last year over 4,390 complaints and lawsuits were filed against moving companies in Dallas." Now if you're interested in moving, and you're in this section of the yellow pages called moving, and you're in Dallas, and you see that headline."Last year over 4,390 complaints and lawsuits were filed against moving companies in Dallas." Does that snap you out of alpha mode and into beta mode? Some people listening say, "No it doesn't." But here's what you need to understand: #1, you're not moving right now, so you don't have the words "moving" and the words "potentially getting screwed" in your reticular activator. And #2, 70 calls vs. 955 calls. What can we conclude from this statement? We don't have to get everybody. We've got to tap into the hot buttons that are representative of most people. If you were in the market for moving would the headline "Last year over 4,390 complaints and lawsuits were filed against moving companies in Dallas," get your attention? Would it cause you to at least be curious to see what they had to say? See, this is not my opinion, we are now dealing in the realm of quantifiable, objective facts. A realm, I might point out, that most ad agencies and marketing companies abhor. They prefer their opinions on what's creative or clever or funny or whatever.

 

Okay, so we've interrupted John Smith, now it's time to do what? That's right, engage. He's read the headline about lawsuits, and now his brain immediately starts to search for additional, clarifying information. All we have to do is simply give him the promise that if he continues to read the ad that he'll get information that will educate him as to the relevant and important issues, and facilitate his making the best decision possible when it comes to moving. We've got to write a sub-headline that promises to educate John Smith. What about this, "Ask these fifteen questions to make sure your moving company's policies, procedures, and standards will protect you from an unpleasant moving experience." Let me repeat that one more time: "Ask these fifteen questions to make sure your moving company's policies, procedures, and standards will protect you from an unpleasant moving experience." Have I given any clarifying information? Would the prospect be compelled to keep reading? Have I promised to educate John Smith? The answer to all three questions is yes, which again, is not my opinion, it's an objective fact. Are you starting to see how the marketing equation eliminates the need for subjective creativity by dealing with the actual issues that are relevant and important to the consumer? I know this is obvious, but come on, show me 10 ads that implement it. You can't.

 

Now on to the third component of the marketing equation, Educate.it's time to build the case. The purpose of their case was to tactfully expose the lack of integrity in ethics based on these five points. Honesty, real insurance, no breakage, price, and guaranteed move price. You say that's awfully strong; I don't know if lack of integrity is really true. You tell me: If you get a check for $16 dollars to replace your $400 television set, do you feel like you've been treated ethically and integrally? If the quote for the move was $1,000 and the final bill comes in at $2,200, were you treated fairly? Or does it feel more like you were raped, pillaged, and plundered? To build the case, they simply had to educate as to the potential problems and put together evidence that they performed in those areas. So we put together the list with quantified, specific, non platitudinal information. We did not simply say, make sure the company is insured. We said, "There's three kinds of insurance, then educated about them and gave specific examples about getting $16 for a $400 television set. That's what the list of fifteen questions is all about: to allow the prospect to ask any moving company specific questions and then be able to judge the answers they give according to the standards that have been set. I'll show you how they did this in just a minute, but first, let's take a look at the fourth component of the marketing equation, the offer.

 

Now in this situation, the offer is probably less important that most. Why? Because of the nature of moving, people don't typically start looking until their just about ready to buy. Many of the prospects are on the far right hand sided of the Educational Spectrum ready to take immediate action. That's why when you see the completed ad for this company we cram a lot more of the Education-type information into the actual ad itself. But we do have an offer that's there and that's useful.it's a low-risk way to further educate John Smith and facilitate his decision making process. What could we offer that would accomplish this? How about this: "Call or go online for a free moving company comparison checklist helps you judge any moving company before committing to a move and before giving them a dime." Again, it's available via their website or the prospect can get it by fax or mail. Is that a low risk offer? Of course it is. And it's convenient to take advantage of. but again, in this situation, we're probably going to tend to just go ahead and give a good portion of the case right there in the ad because of the reasons I just mentioned.

 

Okay, so let's summarize what we've decided here: Interrupt: "Last year over 4,390 complaints and lawsuits were filed against moving companies. Engage: "Ask these fifteen questions to make sure your company's policies and procedures and standards protect you from an unpleasant moving experience." Educate: build the case based on the hot buttons here's how we fulfill based on those fifteen things.. For instance, here's the kind of insurance that you should have and here's the kind of insurance that we have. Here's the kind of insurance that most companies have. Make sure that you ask. Here's our policy and written guarantee on up sales and raising the prices after the move and here's what most companies do. Here's what you need to ask to make sure that they don't. See, that's educating, building the case, right? Finally, the Offer: Free moving company comparison check list available via internet, fax, or mail. That's it.

 

What I want you to do now is grab the companion volume that came with this program, if you haven't already peeked already, and take a look at page 22 at the actual ad as it appeared in the yellow pages. This is the ad that took the company from 70 calls to 955 calls a month, and it was produced in less than 2 hours following a seminar like I mentioned earlier. That might sound fast, but when you understand the marketing equation you'll realize that all of that Creativity goes out the window and there's only ONE way TO DO it. The answer to how to write this ad is as simple as 2 + 2 = 4. Lot's of people's first impression is, dang that's a lot of stuff in that ad. But look at how it follows the marketing equation based on what we just decided: Last year over 4,390 complaints and lawsuits were filed against moving companies in Dallas. This is in the moving section, interrupt. Next, engage: ask these fifteen questions. Now educate: Again, you might say that's a lot of stuff; no one will read all of that. Some of that is 6-point text. The yellow pages salesman the next morning almost had a heart attack and argued with us for 30 minutes that nobody would read it. The marketing genius we call the yellow pages sales guy had the nerve to argue against the marketing equation. Guess what the answer to that concern is?that there's too much text in there and that nobody will read it. It's simple: you're wrong. That's it. You're flat out wrong.and here's why: Because if I have effectively interrupted and engaged you based on hot buttons that are important to you, when it's your stuff and you're moving you'll read anything and everything I can teach you. You become a moving information sponge.

 

Admit it, as I was going through some of the hot buttons, talking about the situation with screwy insurance in the moving industry, you were fascinated. You started to crave that information. You'll use that information next time you go to move. It will be impossible for you not to utilize that information?now that's it's securely tucked away in your reticular activator. And you're not even moving right now. But here's what I do know: 955 people a month said they would read all that. Finally, the fourth component of the ad was the offer for the Free moving company comparison check list like we just stated.

 

Notice how all four components of the marketing equation are working together. Notice how the type sizes and type fonts reflect the tone of the message. Do you see how the tone of the message is a little bit bold? That's because the tone of the advertisement needs to accurately reflect the intensity and emotion level of the problems that are being discussed, like we talked about earlier. Notice how the layout makes the ad easy to follow and to take action. We take them from headline, to sub-headline, to the case-building educational information, and then the offer. This is an ad that works. Interrupt, engage, educate, and offer. This stuff works without fail?you can't mess it up if you try. As long as you're selling something that people actually want, and as long as you've got the hot buttons right, and as long as the marketing piece is at the proper point of contact, superior results are absolutely inevitable.

 

Okay, you're saying that's great, but I don't own a moving company. You own something else, and you're convinced that this marketing equation won't work for you because your business is somehow unique or different or immune to the dictates of human nature and buying behavior. Look I don't care if you're running a bowling alley or a brain surgery center. I don't care if you're Microsoft or the owner of the local mini-golf. If you're a billion dollar company or just getting started. It also doesn't matter whether you're in a service business or a product business. It doesn't matter if you're selling business to business or business to consumer. It doesn't matter if you advertise on the television, on the radio, in the yellow pages, in the newspaper, via internet, on billboards, or if you don't even do any advertising at all. Maybe you go to tradeshows. Maybe you just have brochures and websites, or you've got an on-hold message or a sign that you stick in people's yards when you fix their toilets if you're a plumber. Regardless of what it is you do or what kind of marketing you do or who it is that you sell to?whether that target market is the richest of the rich or people that regularly appear on the Jerry Springer show?none of that stuff matters, because the marketing equation is built on a foundation that's based on human nature. If you've got a business and you want to sell something, no matter what it is, then realize that your prospective customers want to make the best decision possible when buying it. They want to get the best deal in terms of price and value. Your job is to get them interrupted based on their hot buttons, give them the promise that reading your marketing piece or ad will educate them, build a case as to the important and relevant issues, and that you offer superior value, and then give them a low-risk way to further the education and sales process. This allows you to effectively match up the outside perception with the inside reality. THAT IS IT. It always works the same with EXACTLY ZERO EXCEPTIONS. Period. If you don't agree, it's because you're paradigm of how marketing should be done is so engrained in your head, your wall is so high, that you're missing the opportunity to do something that's going to make a measurable difference in your business.