Is Your Marketing too polished? Want a better response? Rough it up.

Seth Godin makes a great point about being too polished. Since Americans are exposed to 3000 – 4000 advertising messages every day, we become numb quickly. Any message prepared by an ad agency isn’t designed for a consumer, it’s designed to win an ad award, which can then be touted as a success to potential clients. Ads aren’t very effective anymore: unless they are designed by marketing people.
Marketers want to provide a service (and sell a product) but that’s secondary to the primary goal of any serious marketing person. Marketers want to insert their product into your decision making matrix. Advertisers want to impress you. And since their Ad is one of 1000 that you will drive past, it will not make an impression on the consumer.
Advertisers make it a point to be polished, unless they are purposely trying to be rough. (Anyone remember the mange infested gerbils singing for Quizno’s? Rough? Yes. Ugly? Yes. Did it get people talking? Yes. Did it sell sandwiches? Do hair dripping rodents make you hungry?)
One of the suggestions a lot of direct marketing experts make is to handwrite copy onto the advertising piece. They have studies that show it increase the conversion ratio. Just like they have studies that show a PS increases purchases. Why?
People are just too busy to read a ad. But they will read handwriting on the ad, and they will read the PS. So handwriting is rough, it’s not polished typeset that is a certain size. Handwriting can be pretty, but most of the time we’re lucky if it’s clear. Be rough. Your consumers will notice.
Being rough means a human touch. Like handwriting envelopes to a small mailing list. Sure, they make computers that do the font, but if you print it out, it’s mass market and not as special. And come on, if you’re using a computer to print out a “handwritten” address, you’re trying to fool the consumer. Give it a personal touch and have a secretary start writing.
Can you find other ways in your business to add a rough human touch?
Not everything has to be perfect. Where did that concept enter into the business arena anyway? Perfection and polish do not translate into sales. Connection and communication usually do. How can you connect and communicate with your consumer to turn them into clients?

How to Write a CASH COW book and profit in 24 Hours!

You can also visit www.makemoviemoneyfast.com/two and find out what I'm talking about. Bascially, information marketing is taking what you know and writing about it in a quick easy to understand book.



But it can go beyond that as well. I read about a woman who sold millions of copies of a book called EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN. Every page inside was blank! Get the joke? People loved it.



Sure, it's not information, in fact, it's probably "no information" marketing. But the key is marketing.



She sold a million copies of a book, and all she wrote was a title!



Now, she had to do legwork, and take a lot of crap for it; "Who is going to pay for a blank book?"



Bottom line: she believed in her product, she pushed her product, and she's sold a million copies of that book. It also spawned a line of books, makes a great gift, ect.



So my challenge to you; what can you do?



What do you know?



OR what don't you know that you can still sell?

What would you do if you were me?

Want help in knowing how to rehab your new real estate investment quickly and inexpensively?
Keep a cooler full of soda and bottled water in the back of your truck or trunk of your car. When you are canvassing a neighborhood or driving to look at a property, and you spy a service truck (electrical, plumbing, air conditioning) pull over and offer the guy something to drink. Then tell him what you do, where you’re going, and ask for his card.
Once you’ve looked at the property, and if you need work done, call the guy and ask if he does any work on the side. Most do. Get him to drop by and give you an estimate.
Ask him the question: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE ME?
This puts him in a position of thinking about spending his money instead of yours. Now, the two of you are working together to solve a problem.
Of course, as a smart REI, you’re going to get more than one quote, but by giving the service guy a drink, he’s going to feel obligated to give you a deal. Not always, and some may refuse. After all, you are some crazy investor stopping on the side of the road while he’s working, but if you develop a relationship with a specialization guy, like an electrician, or plumber, they can come to your rescue later on down the road if an emergency pops up. Just try it.

10 STEP HOME REHAB

Okay, you’ve found the house, the offer is accepted, and it’s time to get to work. Here’s a simple checklist for every house you are rehabbing.
1. Check the roof. Not just the shingles but the decking. Replace as needed. (this should always be calculated in your offer)
2. Check the foundation. Shore it up if needed.
3. Check the Heating and Air. If you don’t have Central Heat and Air, now is a good time to add the ductwork.
4. PAINT. Use a high quality paint, and have your guy blast it inside and out.
5. FLOORS- tile now, and set up hardwood or carpet.
6. KITCHEN- Install cabinets and appliances
7. BATH- tile wall and fixtures
8. LANDSCAPE- sod, mulch and prepare
9. TOUCH UP- add new hardware, light plates, fixtures, all of the little touches
10. CLEAN UP – spit shine and polish everything and make it look brand new. You can also stage now, to prepare to sell.

That’s it. A simple ten step checklist you can use over and over again to get in, fix up, and get out of your real estate investments fast. The faster you move, the more profit you can make.