When I was in my twenties, I used to earn money by waiting tables. And I was good at it. At some point in my waitressing career, I received effective training on upselling. I was taught to really know and understand the menu. As a result, I could make delicious suggestions to enhance my customers’ dining experience by not only suggesting a wonderful entree, but by also recommending the perfect bottle of wine and appetizer. My customers fully enjoyed their meal and I got a bigger tip.

Gentle upselling is a marketing strategy that is a win-win situation for both you and your customer. It’s a way for your customers to get a better solution to whatever problem they want you to solve. And you make higher revenues. Another example of this strategy is on one of my favorite websites, Amazon.com. Based on my browsing and purchasing behavior, as I check out I am offered additional product recommendations. And you know what? I often buy two or three things instead of just one. I’ve been successfully (and happily) upsold.

In an upselling marketing strategy, your number one goal is to better service your customers by offering them something that will benefit them. If you really think about what it will REALLY take to solve their problems, you can come up with add-on items to sell to your customers.

Be sure to make it simple for them to buy more. Here are some examples of upselling that can help you figure out what you might offer to your customers:

• Copywriters who write press releases can upsell their client to a press release distribution service.

• Graphic designers who design logos can create a sales package that includes the design of business cards and letterhead.

• For an online sale of an e-book, a coach or consultant can recommend a similar audio program or report on their check-out page.

• A store that sells cameras should be sure to offer customers printers, paper, picture frames, and so on.

• Hairdressers can sell hair gels, brushes, and coloring jobs to someone who comes in for a haircut.

A good way to determine things to bundle or upsell is to look at your past sales. What have customers purchased together? What have customers asked you about? Is there a product or service you can offer to them that would compliment their purchases and add value to them?

Learn the art of the gentle upsell. Begin with confidently asking a question and then giving your customer a benefit statement. The best part is that since you’ve already identified what your customers need, upselling is practically effortless. You’ve already established trust and rapport. An upsell is simply a gentle offer of something more to help them out.

The bottom line is that the more you offer to your customers, the more money you make. The reason is that you are making it easy for them to get their problems solved. They don’t have to go anywhere else to finish their shopping. And you are offering them extra value. But remember - in order to make the up-sale, you have to ask for it.

ACTION ITEM: What are you currently offering to your customers as gentle up-sales offerings? Is this something you could improve upon? What other items would be effective upselling options?

Hugs and success,

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After my post yesterday about Mahindra’s Life Of a Farm Blog, one of my readers made a comment that this type of blog would be illegal under the EU’s legislation to ban fake blogs, also known as Sock-Puppet Blogs.

You can read a recent article in the UK’s Time-Online - here is an excerpt:

Hotels, restaurants and online shops that post glowing reviews about themselves under false identities could face criminal prosecution under new rules that come into force next year.

Businesses which write fake blog entries or create whole websites purporting to be from customers will fall foul of a European directive banning them from “falsely representing oneself as a consumer”.

So, would the Mahindra blog fall under this legislation? It is a blog that is clearly sponsored by the company. But, it seems to me that the writer is actually describing his experiences on his farm (and with his tractor). Is he a sock-puppet blogger?

More blatant and misrepresentational are the recent flogs (fake blogs) put up by Coca-cola to promote its Coke Zero product. Apparently the entries have been changed to show that it is promoted by Coke, but the original entries were made as if they were by a random blogger - you can read about it at AdRants.

Apparently, other corporations have been doing the same thing. McDonalds created an ad campaign about a French Fry that looks like Abe Lincoln - there was a flog to go with it with fake posts and comments. The Consumerist held an award for the best flog of 2006. The winner? Sony for its “All I Want for Chistmas is a PSP,” with Walmart as a close runner-up.

So all that said, I still want to advocate for Joel the farmer and his Red Tractor blog. I don’t think it’s the same as the other blogs here. There is a link from the main Mahindra website to the blog, as well as a Mahindra logo on all pages of the blog.

So, my question to you…is this blog a interesting and acceptable way to market a corporate blog? Or should it be removed because blogger Joel is a “Sock Puppet”?

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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I have never lived on a farm. Therefore, I know nothing about tractors. But, I was fascinated to come across a tractor company called Mahindra with a very interesting business blogging strategy. Part of Mahindra’s brand is the shiny red color of its equipment (distinct from competitor John Deere with its green and yellow).

The Mahindra Blog is called Life On A Farm Blog: Follow the stories of a guy with 3 kids, a red tractor, and 170 acres. What I love about this blog is that it is written by Joel Combs - a 32-year-old farmer in Kentucky. And while he does write a lot about his tractor, he also writes a lot about his day-to-day life with entries like this:

We got a surprise this morning about 3 am. Daisy, the kids’ cocker spaniel had seven puppies. I talked to the ex wife about renting the double-wide. She was excited about the idea. We’ll have to discuss it more when we get the log house all finished.

and this:

I’ve turned the cows I bought out into the pasture and the horses don’t like it. I’m gonna have to figure something out to do with the horses. They will run the cows causing them to get hot which is not good in cold weather. It’s not a great concern while temps are what they are now, but if we get a cold snap it could cause problems. The pigs are eating like pigs. I guess that’s to be expected. I’ve got to check the signs and get them castrated before they get so big we can’t handle them.

I compare this to other business blogs like the Google Blog or the GM Blog. While these are filled with useful product information, I love the storytelling component of the Mahindra blog. Take a look and see what YOU think.

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

Looking for marketing strategies for your small business? Sign up for my free marketing tips ezine.

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I have to start with a small apology to my fiancee, Nathan Riddle. He is a Pro-class Downhill mountain biker and sponsored by WTB, a company that specializes in tires, wheel, and seat posts. So, he probably can’t put these tires I’m posting about on his bike since they are a competitor {sorry, sweetie}.

If you were going to create new bike tires, what would you do? Certainly new ways to make the tire dig in and hug the ground would be interesting to certain hard-core cyclists. But, if you are trying to really create a buzz, I’m not sure that those features would capture wide attention, especially amongst the folk in the media.

However, what if you created a whole new look for bike tires? Now that would be an interesting marketing spin. And that is exactly what SweetskinZ has done.

Their website says:

The tires have been shunned for far too long.

Black tires are okay. They get you from A to B. And depending on your riding level, they allow you to achieve a certain amount of sweetness. “Allow.” When’s the last time a tire design made you feel freaking pumped? Made you want to go big down a single track like your hair was on fire. Like never.

Witness SweetskinZ tires. They’re hot. They’re art. And built to beat. Look, there’s simply no other tire in the land like the ones you’ll see in our portfolio.

And here’s the other thing. SweetskinZ tires may have the look, but they’re no joke. Dirt, vert, Moab boulders, whatever. Bring it all on.

Let’s see some tires.

So with this clever copy and fun website, SweetskinZ showcases its tires. They feature full-color graphics and patterns that are also reflective at night. (Style and safety). With names like Rattleback and Scorch, I think this company has done a great job at creating a new exciting slice in a ho-hum marketplace.

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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We live in a country where we can speak out about the things that discriminate against our civil liberties…and we can take action. A man named Steve Horner of Colorado is no slouch when it comes to fighting discrimination.

His latest battle? He feels that Ladies’ Night discriminates against him.

Now, Ladies’ Night has been a simple, but very effective marketing ploy that bars use to get women in for free. The premise is that women and their girlfriends will come for the free cover. And, where women gather…men are sure to follow (not minding that they have to pay the cover). There is generally a lot of drinking and often some romance.

Steve Horner does not think this marketing strategy is fair to him. According to Steve, it is simply not right that ladies get a free admission on Ladies’ Night, while the men have to pay for admission. And, the Colorado court agreed with Steve. The bar will have to pay Steve damages.

Click here to view a recent clip from the Daily Show.

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Rocky Mountain News:

A self-proclaimed “agitator” against feminism declared ladies nights at Colorado nightspots dead Friday after prevailing in the first stage of a civil rights complaint against the Proof Nightclub in southeast Denver.

Steve Horner learned Thursday that Colorado’s Division of Civil Rights for the Department of Regulatory Agencies sided with him in his complaint that men were unfairly having to pay cover charges and higher drink prices than women at the Proof’s ladies nights.

“Ladies night is now illegal,” said Horner, a 59-year-old corporate speaker, who says he’s been on an anti-feminist crusade since his wife left him with two young children several years ago.

While Horner claimed that all bars will have to cancel ladies nights, officials from the Department of Regulatory Agencies said their rulings only apply to the targeted business, in this case the Proof {the bar that wanted Steve to pay}.

In the meantime, Horner plans to catch any club owners who continue to offer women special deals.

“This is now a violation of law. I will now make it a point to visit as many ladies nights as I can every week. I’ll have my rights violated, then I’ll sue them in county court and collect my $500 (the maximum penalty in county court for each incident of discrimination),” Horner said.

“I feel it could net me $3,000 to $4,000 a week easy, and I’m going to do it,” he added. “It takes me five minutes to be discriminated against.”

Last month, Steve made this comment on the Future Gringo blog:

“The fact is, I spotted a wrong and corrected it and the battle has sparked lots of controversy from women who feel entitled to favors which is everything contrary to the fundamental principles of early feminism,and from pussy-whipped men who feel as though they need to get a woman drunk before they can get lucky.”

Hmmmm….

The next day he commented on the same Blog:

“Lastly, it’s your hard-earned tax dollars that support the Governor appointed civil rights commission in Colorado and it’s those people,using your tax dollars, who have sided with me that Ladies’ Night is not only discriminatory but sexist toward women as well because it pre-supposes that women need favors which, as I’ve stated above, is a premise of pussy-whipped Colorado gay guys. Arnold of California calls you “girly-men.” That fits well. Remember, no matter how you cut it, I win, you fools lose and I’m going to cash in on it, big time.”

Apparently, Steve has been marketing for Men’s Rights for some time. In February 1996, he filed a complaint against Hooters Restaurant after the manager refused to hire him as a waiter. You can read the full story in the Minneapolis City Pages.

You can read another take on the situation at The Feminist Bloggers Network and more than 100 comments at Pandagon like this one:

I, too, am a victim of the terrible oppression that is ‘Ladies’ Night.’ As I walk through the estrogen-soaked bar, nary a dick in sight, something inside me dies. A horrible call of ‘Look! A MAN!’ and I am gang-tackled, writhing and scrambling under a sea of beautiful straight women. As I reach my hand up, careful not to cop a feel, I see a burst of light through the maze of miniskirts and Steve Horner grabs my drowning hand. ‘Fear not, Auguste!’ he cries manfully. ‘No longer shall you be trapped in a bar full of women. Ladies’ Night is…NO MORE!’

Quite frankly, the Maven has no opinion on whether Ladies’ Night should or shouldn’t be banned. I’m not sure who is being discriminated against…the men or the women who are lured into the bar by this long-standing marketing technique. In the end, the winner of all of this is the bar that profits from these nights. The people who attend these types of soirées probably just win a headache from drinking too much and perhaps a little extra romance for the night.

Should Ladies’ Night be banned? Is Steve Horner right or wrong? Is Ladies’ Night just an effective marketing strategy or is it a practice that discriminates? What do YOU think?

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

P.S. The Maven wants to know what you think! I would LOVE for your comments on this topic. Please take the time to write your opinion.

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Well…I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. To my Football Fan readers, I just don’t get the game {sorry mom.} But…I am very ravenously following the Presidential Elections as they heat up. Such fascinating facts are being unveiled. And for someone like me, who just loves too watch the politicos market themselves, it’s downright scintillating.

Let’s take Obama’s Smoking, for instance. Is this a negative blow to his image? Or, from a marketing perspective, can it be turned around?

Well, Fox News Host John Gibson called it a “dirty little secret.”

The New York Times says that Obama has managed to turn smoking into a positive as “an expression of his imperfection.”

John McWhorter seems to think smoking helps Obama: “I really don’t think it is because it depends on the person. And Obama is seen as very, very cool. I think a lot of people find him sexy. And I think even in today’s America, there’s a sense that there’s something vaguely sexy about cigarettes. You’ve got fire in your hand. So to tell you the truth, I think it will only help.”

ABC News reports that surveys show people would like him to quit and so, he is going to try!

So many spins on one man’s habit. I look forward to seeing what else comes up and how the politicians market themselves over the next year plus. It’s going to be the most interesting election we’ve had in a LOOOONG time!

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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Many of my clients want to step into online marketing. And it is a powerful way of attracting leads and converting strangers into customers. No matter whether you are a solo-entrepreneur or a larger business, your website can dramatically increase your company’s revenue.

There are many models for successful Internet marketing. Some companies use one- or two-page sales letters. I prefer a comprehensive “sticky” website that offers many free resources to prospects and customers. While this approach takes a lot of dedication and patience, the long-term results are worth it.

Here is my easy-to-follow strategy to get people into your Internet funnel:

1. Just get something up: If you don’t have a website yet, then start with a one-page website. Make it a sales letter that entices people to sign up for your ezine. Offer visitors a free report to give them an incentive to give you their name and e-mail. This is an interim step, but it allows you to build your subscriber list while you are having your larger website developed.

2. Have a clean, simple website designed and learn to update it yourself: By learning how to make changes to your own website, you can add changes to your site’s pages without having to go to your webmaster each time. I use Adobe Contribute, but there are other programs that will allow you to make changes. By learning how to make basic changes to your website, you can quickly learn to add articles, new sales pages, and even audio recordings.

3. Create a “tiny spoon” to give away: Create a free report or e-course or other sample that will allow you to capture names and e-mails on your website. You’ll need a good autoresponder to do this. I use and like Professional Cart Solutions. A free “tiny spoon” sample (like they use in the ice cream stores) allows people to get a taste of your offerings before they buy anything. It starts the process of converting strangers to friends.

4. Build your subscriber list: Your list of subscribers is what will make you money. You want a big, responsive list of people who know you and love your products. This will take time to build, so start right away. You can use article marketing, pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, and joint ventures to help build your list

5. Create and send out an ezine: Develop and send out your ezine at least once a month. For the best response, I highly recommend a weekly ezine schedule to grow your list and keep your subscribers interested. The more you send your ezine out, the more people will pass it along, thus further building your list. Your ezine is what will drive your sales. The most comprehensive resource I know to learn about creating your own ezine is from Ali Brown, the Ezine Queen.

6. Develop a core online product: E-books, reports, and teleclasses are the easiest infoproducts to create. But you can produce entire multi-media systems that include CDs and DVDs. Be sure to offer information that is of real value to your target audience. Create one core online product that you can use as your foundation. My Marketing Maven System is my core infoproduct. I also offer other products that build on the System. Make a list of ideas for your online products.

7. Write a strong sales page: A page with well-written copy is a big factor in making successful online sales. Many letters that I see on the Internet either lack information or they are too “hypey.” Strive to connect with your readers problems, letting them know that you understand. Use benefit-driven, straight-shooter content. Let people know that your product can help them and explain how it will improve their situation. An experienced copywriter can help you with this.

8. Give them more of you: Once you have mastered the steps above, repeat them over and over again to offer your subscribers even more value. Create new infoproducts and even new websites. Over time, your loyal subscribers and your multiple products will generate significant multiple streams of income.

Ready to learn more about how to create your Internet Cash Machine? Then it’s time to get a copy of the Maven Marketing Home Study System! It’s everything you need to know to attract the best customers for your business. You’ll learn how to describe what makes your business remarkable, how to get new customers calling YOU, and lots of other valuable strategies to help you fill your sales pipeline quickly. (Why struggle with your marketing anymore?)

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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