Profitable Performance$ Newsletter
Aug. '06

(View this online at www.ProfitablePerformances.com )
In this Issue:
1. Review of Last Month's important topics. Go...
2. Contest: Win two Magic DVDs!  Go...
3. How to Offend Your Prospects    Go...
4. MagicBase Tip: Customizing return labels   Go...
5. Get 5 GB for $5/mo. Go...

#1 Tip - IMPORTANT REVIEW
   If you received the newsletter from last month, you may still be reading it because it was so long! So let me just review a few of the important points from that issue:
1. You can make $ with the MagicBase Affiliate Program.
   Simply by placing a link on your website, you can make cash if anyone clicks from your website to the MagicBase website and purchases it anytime in six months!! Six Months!
Read more about it here:

2. In the previous newsletter, for the performing tip I told you how to be sure to get the applause you want from your introductions to your show.
3. For the Marketing Tip, I explained how to get your customers to start working and marketing for you.
4. In the MagicBase Tip I told you how to check if you're paying too much for your advertising.

If you wish to review any of these topics from last month, you can view archives of all newsletters at www.ProfitablePerformances.com.

Marketing Tip: How to Offend Your Prospects
  "No one is totally worthless... They can always serve as a bad example!"
   This month I'll teach by negative example.
   I had a bad experience with a Salesperson from FirstLine Home Security. That's right- I'm naming names because I'm so ticked off at the way this salesperson acted. Here's the story:

Uninvited Salesperson:
   I was in my office working when the salesman came to our house. I just had one more thing that I had to do before my wife and I went out to celebrate our 22nd anniversary. I don't know exactly how long he was in our house before my wife called me out of my office to talk with him. By this time he was standing in the middle of our dining room like he was an invited guest.

Feeble Attempt to build rapport:
   When I met him, the first thing he did was made some comment about my wife's Snoopy collection. Apparently this was his attempt to build rapport. But the timing was wrong. I don't think that the first thing you say to a prospect is chit-chat about hobbies. First, you introduce yourself and explain why you're in my house. Then, once that main question is answered, you can try to build rapport.
   Do you agree with this? Would you call up a prospect on the phone and the first thing you say is something like, "Well, how's your stamp collecting going these days?" I don't think so. First you'd explain who you are and the purpose of your call.
   Well, this guy didn't get right to the point. So, instead of enjoying his fake interest in the collection, I'm just thinking, "Who are you and why are you here?"

False Advertising:
   Well, when he finally answers those two questions, he starts explaining that their company is looking for some "advertising homes" that they can use to promote their service to the neighborhood. I knew immediately what was coming on this sales pitch because I've heard it before. (I was thinking that he was going to offer their service for a reduced price so that they could showcase our home to the neighborhood and encourage others to buy- at the regular price, of course.)
   So, this guy is starting our business "relationship" by spinning the truth about what they're doing. Because we all know, that they really make this offer to EVERYONE that they talk to because it's a plausible reason for giving an apparent discount. (I just let it slide because I just wanted to end the conversation and get this guy out of here so that my wife and I could go out.) So I just waited for him to tell me the price.
   And I waited, and waited as he went on to ask me if I've noticed the large increase in crime in the neighborhood. (I knew that he knew nothing about the crime in my neighborhood, and that there wasn't any discernable increase.)

Outright Lie:
   Finally, he said that the price was "Free." And then he talked more and more explaining how it could be free. They install the security equipment for free, and then ADT monitors it.
   So I interrupted him to ask, "So there's no cost to me?" And what are the first words out his mouth. "That's right, because BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."
   This guy wasn't getting to the point so I tried to move him along. I said, "If you have a point, you'd better make it because my wife and I were just about to go out and you're delaying us." His response, more sales gibberish.

The truth- Finally:
   Finally, knowing that I was being scammed I asked point blank, "Do I have to pay anything at all?" His answer, "Well yes. We don't charge anything, but the monitoring company, which usually charges $80/month will do this for about half of that..." (You see! I knew it! There was a charge all along. Yet I asked him TWO TIMES if there was a charge and he said "No...".)
   (BTW, I saw him talking to my neighbor, later that day. After he left, I asked the neighbor if the guy gave the same type of pitch. Yes. My neighbor had to ask him point blank "Is there any cost AT ALL?")
   So, I told him I wasn't interested and asked him to leave. Did he? No. He asked, "OK, but first, can I ask you for a glass of water?" (What? Why was he asking me for this? A delaying tactic?) I said, "I'll get you a bottle of water..." And when I came back and offered it to him, what did he say?
   He said, "Oh no. I don't want to take your bottled water. Thanks anyway." Then he finally left. After he left, I figured out why he asked for a glass of water. If he's standing in my house drinking a glass of water, then I have to wait until he's "done" before he can leave. This would give him more time to try to build rapport with his fake interest. This was proven by the fact that he wouldn't take his water "to go."
Total time wasted: over 20 minutes.

Bad Taste in my Mouth:
   But more importantly, how did I, as his prospect, feel?
   • Angry. I felt like he wasted my time. He didn't even ask if this was a good time to talk. He just talked and talked. Apparently figuring that if he got into his sales pitch that would be all that was needed.
   • Angry because he started out with an obvious lie about needing an "advertising house."
   • Angry because he was using delaying tactics like talking about stuff in our house; because he had weasled his way all the way into the middle of our house before I got to talk to him; because he was trying to delay by asking for a glass of water.
    • Angry because I felt lied to. He started out saying it was free. I asked him two times before he really confessed that there was a cost.

   I feel angry now just telling you about it. The words "slick, slippery, weasel." come to mind. But, what can we learn from this?

Lessons Learned:
•• Be courteous-     He wasted his time and mine by not asking a few simple questions like"Is this a good time to talk?" You see, if he had done this courtesy, I would have said, "No it's not a good time to talk." Then he could have asked me, "When would be a good time?" Then he could have said, "OK. I'll come back then to talk to you." Do you see the difference? The next time he came into my house, he would have been there because I invited him to that time. Instead of an intruder, like he was now, he would have been invited. Big difference.
   Plus, because he didn't ask if this was a good time, he already had a strike against him. I didn't want to listen to him no matter how good his offer was because it was the wrong time, for me.
••Qualify your prospects -    Instead of telling me that there was "an increase in crime in the neighborhood", he could have asked me if I felt any need for home security. He could have asked me if we ever had anything stolen. Then he would have heard my response, or "felt need" to his product.
••Be Honest-  If you have to lie, or even be partially deceptive, in order to get work, then you need to get a different job. If the benefits of your product or service don't sell themselves, then you may trying to sell something that people don't want. There is never any reason to lie to your prospects.

   I've been doing a lot more birthday promotions this year. As a result, I've increased my Birthday Shows business by about 40%. I've been experimenting with different ways to make the outside of the envelope more engaging. I used to use a rubber stamp on the outside of the envelope that says, "Here's the information you requested!"
But now, using MagicBase, I can do the same thing, only better. Look at the image below and you'll see what I mean:
Click to enlarge
  
How to do it:
   You just have to make a few changes on the Preferences Screen.
1. Go to the Preferences Screen. In the field titled Magic Company, just type in your address. If you have a long address, you'll need to shorten it because there isn't a lot of space.
2. Erase everything from the field titled 'Address.' This is just to make a space between your address and the "special message" that you're going to put on the envelope.
3. In the 'City ST Zip' field, type in the first part of your special message. I put in the word 'LOOK!'.
4. In the 'Web' field, type in the rest of your special message. This will appear right below the 'City' field on the return label area.
5. If you have a color printer, then take advantage of it by changing the colors of the text. On the Preferences Screen, highlight the text that you want to color. Select the 'Format' menu and choose 'Text Color.' Then select a bright color. (This is one of those rare occassions where you do use a menu command in MagicBase.)
   That's it! To preview it, select any customer, and choose to Print an envelope from the Contracts & Reports Screen. (You can just preview the envelope and then cancel out the actual printing.)
   Experiment to find something that you like.
   Also, if you're doing this for sales letters, you may want to measure the results to see if the special message makes any difference.

If you're looking for more detailed lessons on using MagicBase, then subscribe to the MagicBase Power eCourse. Click Here...

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