A simple system that turned a bankrupt magazine into a cash machine in weeks

Written by Christopher Kyalo


The two principal shareholders ofrepparttar magazine stared back at me in disbelief as I calmly explainedrepparttar 120194 simple rescue plan we would use to saverepparttar 120195 ailing monthly business magazine. Exhaustion and desperation were written all over their faces and in a way I felt pity for them. The pair had already lost a small fortune in just one year of operation. The only reason why they had not shut downrepparttar 120196 damned thing was that they were hoping for some miracle that would recover at least half their life savings. But then theirs isrepparttar 120197 story of hundreds of thousands of would-be-entrepreneursrepparttar 120198 world over who continue to launch thousands of new magazines every year withoutrepparttar 120199 very special skills that are required to run this complex and yet extremely potential business.

All they had left at this bankrupt magazine now was a small demoralized sales team ready to quitrepparttar 120200 moment they found jobs elsewhere. No reporters, no writers, no budget to get good writers on board.

I quickly called a meeting and tried to inspirerepparttar 120201 shabby remnant, assuring them thatrepparttar 120202 magazine was now in good hands and that things would improve. Luckily they did not senserepparttar 120203 cold fear creeping up my spine nor did they seem to realize that I had already broken into a cold sweat. In business there are no guarantees - you win some and you lose others. What right did I have to make all these promises? What if I failed in this assignment?

I proceeded to swiftly trainrepparttar 120204 handful of sales people and changed them from advertising sales persons into "reporters". They were to go out and gather information.

Gather information!? When you need revenue so badly?

Hold your horses and read on.

We developed a simple system consisting ofrepparttar 120205 following steps,

1) "Reporter" calls up a potential client and books an appointment for an interview.

2) I accompany them torepparttar 120206 interview and I do both a thorough and professional job of it.

3) Afterrepparttar 120207 interview, we make an editorial decision whetherrepparttar 120208 material merited a feature article inrepparttar 120209 magazine or not. And if it did whetherrepparttar 120210 story will end up being positive or negative. (Any publisher will tell you that bad news sells much better than good news.)

If it merited a positive story, we would go ahead and writerepparttar 120211 story and then later approachrepparttar 120212 same client to book an advertisement so as to get a double maximum impact inrepparttar 120213 same issue. Alternatively they would have their advertisement appear in a future issue.

Top Ten Strategies for Adding Value and Creating Customer Loyalty

Written by Bea Fields


Today’s customers are demanding, and their expectations are furiously escalating. Everyone wants value, and they want it now! They want convenience, and they want their needs and requirements met. You don’t have to look very far to hear what customers are saying “I want my Dell Computer with Windows XP and a Zip Drive, and I want lifetime customer service with it,” or “I want my Honda with navy leather seats, and I want to be treated like royalty when I come in for my 30,000 mile tune-up.” Adding value is key to business success, and these ten strategies will make your customers love you and will keep them coming back for more.

(1)Ask Your Clients What they Value.

Value is often inrepparttar eye ofrepparttar 120193 beholder. If your customers say they don’t value price, and they continue to buy a lower priced item from your competitor, you cannot ignore this fact. If people say they value good service, and your service is stellar, and they are still not buying from you,repparttar 120194 big question is WHY? It is important to perform a needs analysis to clearly determinerepparttar 120195 pains and challenges of your target market. A survey tool such as AdvancedSurvey.com can provide you with quick answers to questions such as “What isrepparttar 120196 thing in life that is your biggest challenge right now?” or “If you could change one thing about your business right now, what would you change?” Ifrepparttar 120197 majority of people say “A lack of money,” you know that price is going to be a determining factor in their buying decisions. If they say “A lack of time,” then providing quick service will be of paramount importance to your company. If they say “In my business, I would improve my customer service,” then it is your job to deliver a way to improve customer service. Go deep with your needs analysis, and then quickly deliver a solution to your clients’ most pressing needs.

(2)Personalizerepparttar 120198 Relationship.

Your relationship with your clients is more than just a sale. It is building a connection with someone who has trusted you enough to buy from you. This relationship cannot be taken for granted. Greet your customers with enthusiasm, charm, energy, an optimistic attitude, and be LIKABLE. People do business with people they like. They don’t do business with people who are nasty and rude.

Take thorough notes aboutrepparttar 120199 lives of your clients. Make a note not only their birthdays and special occasions butrepparttar 120200 birthdays and special occasions of their spouses, children, parents, and pets (yes…their pets) and make sure to contact them on these days of celebration. Start out each conversation withrepparttar 120201 question “How is your son/wife/partner/mother?” or “Tell me about your week-end. What did you do that was great for you?” A key question to constantly ask yourself is “How can I make my customers happy?” The answer: Be real. Be human. Be connected. Be curious. Be genuinely interested. It works!

(3)Use Assessments to Create an Emotional Bond.

Assessments have been used for years as a tool for developing people in organizations. By understanding behavior differences, organizations can align employee’s values and motivations withrepparttar 120202 company’s mission. This same approach can be used with your clients and customers. With a tool such as Assessment Generator, you can create custom assessments which can create an emotional connection with your buyers while looking closely at how your customers motivations align with your mission. As an example, if you are a Certified Financial Planner, you could build an assessment byrepparttar 120203 title of “Assess Your Family Wealth,” or you are a Skin Care Consultant, and you build a “How Young is Your Skin?” assessment. Both titles create an emotional pull of family wealth andrepparttar 120204 subject of aging. Oncerepparttar 120205 assessments have been completed, look for trends in responses. Are most baby-boomers concerned aboutrepparttar 120206 future financial wealth (or health) of their families? If so, provide a program or package on solving this dilemma. Are most women concerned about sun damage? Provide a month spa package which includes instruction and articles onrepparttar 120207 proper use of sunscreen and how to avoid over exposure torepparttar 120208 sun.

(4)Provide a “Free Gifts” Offering Upon Purchase.

This is one ofrepparttar 120209 oldest yet most successful marketing techniques inrepparttar 120210 history ofrepparttar 120211 world of business. People LOVE free stuff! Customers usually will flock to your business if they know they will receive a gift, an offering, or something extra. The trick here is to add ongoing value torepparttar 120212 lives of others. The majority ofrepparttar 120213 time, people will place value on something financial, emotional, or functional. Over ten years ago, an insurance company sent me a jar opener as a “free gift,” which I did not think was valuable, but it has saved me a great deal of time and energy inrepparttar 120214 kitchen. I have used it for ten years, and if someone takes my jar opener, I have a tendency to get “testy.” I have come to rely onrepparttar 120215 jar opener in my every day chores inrepparttar 120216 kitchen, and I still remember to this day who gave it to me…The Insurance Company. The gift was functional, and I did not even know I needed it, but now that I have it, I can’t live without it!

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