Advertising Is Dead. Long Live PR.Written by Harry Hoover
Although I still believe there is a place for advertising as a brand maintenance or brand affirmation tool, I am convinced that to build a brand today, you need PR. At one time advertising did build brands. But this was in a simpler America. That America, sadly, is no more.I’ve been re-reading The Fall Of Advertising & The Rise Of PR, by Al and Laura Ries, and it is their book that has moved me from suspicion of advertising’s demise as a brand-builder to conviction. As Ries’ say, “Publicity is nail, advertising is hammer.” What does this mean? It means that your PR effort helps make your message believable so that your advertising will have credibility when it hits. Typically, companies want to hit market hard and make a lot of noise. Advertising allows you to launch quickly, control message, and have your message in as many media as you have money for. However, that does not mean your message will be believed. The louder advertisers yell, less likely I am to believe them. How about you? PR takes time and does not necessarily work on your schedule. Planting new ideas or changing minds is a slow process. When your PR program rolls out over a longer period of time, prospects have time to adjust their attitudes. Brands that take this approach are longer lasting, too. Chevrolet, for years number one auto brand, was still number one in ad spending in 2001. It spent $819 million dollars – 39 percent more than Ford spent. That year, Ford outsoldevrolet by 33 percent. Since 1997, Chevrolet has outspent and undersold Ford. Chevrolet spends $314 per vehicle and Ford spends $170 per vehicle. Do you think advertising is working for Chevrolet?
| | You, Too, Can be a SalespersonWritten by C.J. Hayden
I am not a sales and marketing guru. I've written two books on marketing and taught thousands of people how to sell themselves, but really, I don't know more about sales and marketing than most of you. What I know how to do is talk to people, all kinds of people -- restaurant owners and waiters, CEO's and receptionists, entrepreneurs and kindergarten teachers. I don't try to sell these people anything; we just have a conversation. But sales happen as a result. In my book "Get Clients Now!" I define marketing as telling people what you do over and over. That's part of secret right there. I've seen too many business owners fail because they simply don't speak up about their business. Or else they tell someone once what they do for a living, and then think they never need to mention it again. But there's another piece of sales and marketing puzzle that often gets left out. When you talk to someone about your business, you need to be direct, authentic, and unattached to outcome. Clients and students often ask me questions like, "What do I say when I call Mr. Big to find out if he's ready to buy?" They're shocked when they hear my answer: "Hello, Mr. Big, have you decided to purchase our product?" Or maybe question is how to follow up with someone you met at last night's event who expressed some interest in your service. My suggestion is to say: "When we spoke last night, you seemed interested in my services, and I'd like to continue our conversation." What do you do when you fear that client doubts your qualifications? How about: "You seem a bit unsure of my qualifications to do job, and I'd like to address that. What are your concerns?" These are all conversations. You ask a question; they answer. They ask a question; you answer. It's like a friendly tennis match -- all you have to do is keep ball in air, and nothing is at stake.
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