TiVo, poster child of technological advancement for companies like Direct TV, is really nothing more than a middle-aged woman in a designer dress - with plastic surgery. The technology behind TiVo is really just a tweaked DVR, or digital video recorder. Other companies have it; but no other company has built as successful marketing package around their product as has Direct TV with TiVo.

What is TiVo, um, I mean a Digital Video Recorder?

Digital Video Recorders capture video in a way similar to old video recorders, but they do it digitally. Watchers can "pause and rewind live TV" because speed and response time of DVRs, like TiVo, provide for a virtually seamless transition from live TV to recorded material. Based on user settings, up to 80 hours of television can be recorded. This can include your favorite show each week, or you can record everything you watch to make sure you don't miss anything. Remember, every DVR can do this, not just TiVo.

The difference is way Direct TV has partnered with TiVo and positioned it for success in highly competitive market of satellite television and accessories. The true success of TiVo's marketing strategy lies in fact that many people believe it is a unique product.

With product lines in competitive markets, positioning and packaging is king. Direct TV touts TiVo in nearly every major marketing campaign they put together. They offer discount TiVo technologies to new customers who are willing to commit to a one-year contract. My guess is that if you have ever heard of Direct TV and seen any advertisement they have produced, you have been exposed to TiVo name and features.

Have You Ever Heard of Tevas?

Do you make most of your sales in 2 to 20 minutes from time a prospect first reads your marketing copy, visits your web site or calls you?

Neither do I. I make approximately 10% of my sales at time of first contact, but most prospects take weeks, months and, in some cases, years to become clients.

As I mentioned in my marketing blog, I track sales on day I send out my marketing newsletter. Typically, orders for my books begin to come in within a couple of hours. Some will be from people who just found my web site and aren't even on my mailing list, others will be from prospects who signed up for my newsletter a couple of weeks ago, and still others will be from people who have been getting my marketing materials for a six months or even longer, sometimes as long as two years.

When Do People Buy? Prospects buy from you when they know you exist, know which problems you solve, feel confident in your products or services and understand their value, and, most importantly, when they want to do something about their situation or are ready to solve a problem. Prospects looking for an immediate solution may buy your $149 product or $5000 service today, but most won't want to purchase it until next month or next year.

Increasing Profits You need a marketing strategy that helps you increase immediate, short-term and long-term sales.

Does your current marketing strategy do this? Does it prompt people to buy from you first time they visit your web site or call you, make a purchase a few weeks later and in some cases buy from you years after their first contact?

Would you like to improve your immediate, short-term and long-term sales? Below are marketing strategies you can use to accomplish this.

Making Immediate Sales You want a prospect reading your marketing materials for first time to immediately see you as an expert and understand value of your products and services. Don't make mistake of thinking best way to do this is to describe products and services, credentials or list clients.

Introduce yourself with a marketing message that describes how you help your clients, phrased in terms of their concerns, not yours. Follow this with a few testimonials from clients that focus on results you’ve generated.