Greetings Floor Dealers!

FLOOR DEALER:  The newspaper ad guy says you’ve got to run an ad at least 7 times before people start to respond.  
JIM:  If you run an ad and no responds, do you know what will happen if you run the ad 7 more times?
FLOOR DEALER:  What?
JIM: People won’t respond 7 more times.   

Would you instruct members of your sales team to simply say to prospects, “Acme Floors is number one in customer satisfaction, serving the twin-cities for 50 years” or other slogans you see in much of flooring advertising?    If not, then why would you say these things in your ads?  You need to think of your websites, ads, letters, flyers, and anything you are using to promote your business as “salesmen in print.”  They are an important part of your sales team and will do a ton of selling for you if you use them correctly.  That’s the reason for this series of articles; to help you make your print and digital sales force as effective as possible.
With that in mind, let’s continue with secret #7.

Secret #7—Drama
It’s important to “Wow” your prospects, to engage them, to get them to sit up and take notice, and create separation from the competition.  Using drama in your website and ads will help you do this.  Drama can include:

  • Before and after photos of your work.
  • Testimonials.
  • A video of you interviewing a raving fan customer.  Post on your website, blog and Facebook.
  • Case studies.  How you solved a problem for a customer.

(Tip:  Shouting matches in the showroom with family members who work in your business may qualify as “drama,” but won’t help you sell more floors.  Limit loud family disputes to the warehouse.)

Secret #8—Risk Reversal
People are very careful about spending money on a large purchase; they want to be sure that they don’t wind up making a costly mistake that they’ll regret.  Use big, bold guarantees to separate you from everyone else, and remove any “risk” the prospects may perceive. Replacement guarantees and installation warranties are a great way to start.

Secret #9—Offer
An offer should spell out to prospects exactly what to do and exactly what they’ll get for doing it.   “Visit our showroom” is not an offer.  “Call Or Visit Now To Get Your Floor, Spa And Golf Package!” is an offer.

Secret #10—Deadline/call to action
A concrete, bold deadline will light a fire under your prospects and compel them to respond.  Be very specific with your deadline.  Don’t say “Offer expires soon.”  That’s too vague; it doesn’t compel action.  Instead say something like, “You must call or visit by Friday, December 7th to get the Floor, Spa and Golf Package.”

Secret #11—Use a P.S.
Some prospects won’t read every word of your marketing message; some will skip to the end to get to the bottom line.  The P.S. is for those people.  Use the P.S. to restate the offer, deadline, one or two key benefits, or a point that needs emphasis.  This strategy mostly applies to long-form sales letters, but it can also work with postcards, flyers, and online sales pages (squeeze pages or opt-in pages).

Secret #12—Secondary response mechanism
Sometimes prospects will not want to call or visit your store immediately out of fear of being pressured.  Therefore it’s often a good idea to include alternate methods for the prospect to get more information.  This helps build trust.  Some secondary response mechanisms include:

  • Your website (especially if it’s a direct response site)
  • An opt-in for a free report or consumer’s guide.
  • Testimonial hotline.

By implementing the twelve secrets in this series, you’ll be able to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your advertising without increasing your costs.

 

To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”

Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
See what real, live dealers are saying!