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Ok. I admit it. I'm a closet "junk mail" reader. Because I enjoy copywriting, I review a lot of direct mail pieces in order to keep up with trends in copywriting - particularly in alternative or naural health, since this is a field of great interest to me. I am also keenly interested in how truthful these mailings are - and even more importantly, whether they are advertised with integrity.
(Quick disclaimer: I have nothing against people making money. I have nothing against people making a lot of money. I just like to work honestly and with integrity - and I want to buy from people who value honesty and integrity.)
So - back to the topic at hand. I recently received a mailing regarding a particular superfood that - according to the copy, "leaves broccoli, blueberries, flaxseed, soy and salmon in the dust!"
I love hearing and learning about various high-octane superfoods, so I read through the mailing. It discussed this near "perfect food" which has so many benefits, one would think that there would never be any need to eat any other food again. Throughout the mailing (by NorthStar Nutritionals, Frederick, MD), this miracle food was first referred to by the name "Salvia Hispanica L."
It was the next paragraph that made me smile - "And when modern researchers ran tests, THEY NEARLY FELL OVER...They noticed that Salvia Hispanica L. came in two colors - black and white. The black ones proved unremarkable. But the white ones tested off the charts!"
(I have to chuckle when I picture researchers nearly falling over in their excitement over a discovery. It's a great image!) The mailing talks about about how scientists bred a strain of white seeds, and named this "supergrain" Salba.
Right there, my little spider senses began tingling, and I stopped reading and went to the computer and looked up Salvia Hispanica L. which was clearly identified as "chia" seed within about 3 seconds on my Google search.
So, now I felt forearmed, and read the rest of the mailing, which goes on to sing the praises of Salba for a good 22 pages.
I sensed that the writers and nutritional company anticipated people like me looking Salvia Hispanica L. up on the internet, because later in the mailing, in a shaded box at the bottom of the page, we are warned not to be fooled by "wanna-be" seeds - which are the common black chia seeds that are offered for sale to consumers.
There is no doubt that the company is warning us, because this little box begins with the word, "WARNING:" (it reminds me of the warning label one might see on packs of smokes or on bottles of liquor).
I am not going to get into the debate about the virtues of "white chia" versus "black chia." If you would like to read a lively discussion on this topic, there is a great forum at Wordpress, with a thread started by "LeisureGuy" - and I highly recommend visiting and reading this discussion. Let's just agree that chia is, indeed, an outstanding food. I use it nearly every day, and I love it - it's the primary ingredient in my breakfast drink.
What I want to bring to the reader's attention is that - as exciting as this mailing makes Salba sound - remember that it is advertising copy. If the copywriter did his or her job correctly, the company's phones are undoubtedly ringing off the hook. And, hopefully the copywriter made a bunch of money on the mailing.
The other thing I want to bring the reader's attention to is the price. You have probably already guessed that this product is not cheap. They didn't spring for more than 22 pages of advertising to sell you something you can buy at your local health food store or favorite online vendor for just a few dollars.
Here are your price comparisons: The product being sold as Salba is approximately $30/pound (plus shipping and handling).
To be fair to that company, if I purchased their product on their auto-ship program, they wouldn't charge shipping. If I purchase 6 bottles, they would only charge $159.70 with free shipping - which drops the price to only $26.66 per pound.
Anyway, if we mosey over to our friendly and nutty buddies at one of my favorite online stores - Nuts Online (Yes, I'm partial to them, and No, they don't pay me to advertise their name - they don't even know I'm doing it) we can buy white chia seeds ($7.99/pound at this writing) OR black chia seeds ($6.99/pound at this writing). Plus shipping and handling. But, I can guarantee that they won't be charging you $26 to ship it. I just experimented with purchasing 5 Yummy pounds of white chia seeds - which dropped the price to $7.75/pound. Then, shipping to my address was only $7.87 via either FedEx or UPS, 2-day delivery.
So, for whatever my thoughts are worth: At the end of the day, I did feel that the mailing regarding Salba was truthful overall - at least about chia seed's benefits as a wonderful food source. I don't know enough about the company to voice an opinion on whether or not they value integrity. My only misgivings - if they be called that - were about the "warning," which I feel was uncalled for, and the price, which seems extremely high for what the product actually is.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Law of Attraction and Attraction Marketing
Most people in the online marketing or home based business industry have probably heard of the Law of Attraction by now. And from the many forums and discussions I've seen surrounding the subject, it appears that a lot of people are looking to tap into this universal principle to help improve their business - and therefore, their cash flow.
Fair enough. After all, why be in business if not, ultimately, to earn one's daily bread?
It seems that a natural direction to take would be to figure out how to market in such a way that attracts the right customer or prospect to one's product and/or business opportunity. Hence, we can now find the term "attraction marketing" springing up everywhere.
Regardless of whether you own a bricks and mortar business on Main Street or your own a home based business opportunity that you are marketing on the internet - you need customers. The Main Street business - if you are selling something that a good number of people in town or passing by want and need - will most likely get buyers stopping in since they see your sign and store. Or, if you advertise in the local flyers, the local buyers will visit.
CAVEAT: We must hope that before you put up your shingle on Main Street, that you did some market research to ensure that there was enough demand for your product in your area. After all, if you absolutely love surfing, and really want to sell surfboards but live 4 hours from the coast in the mountains, would it make sense for you to have a surf shop?
It is not much different on the internet or in network marketing prospecting (Again, we must hope that you have done some market research to see what people are buying online before you start your business). We need to target our market. We need to learn how to attract the right people to our product, service, or opportunity. How do we do that?
Fortunately, this is a learned skill. You won't master it overnight, but you can - and should learn how to understand and use the universal principle of the Law of Attraction and how it pertains to business. I am not going to go into this here. There are dozens - if not hundreds of sites out there now who can teach you these principles. Just do a "Google Search" for "Law of Attraction."
However, 2 of my personal favorites include http://humanscience.wikia.com/wiki/The_Secret_Project, and http://mental-science.com/.
In addition, I'd like to turn your attention to a few other specific learning resources to get you started on some action steps that you can begin using the second you read them.
If you are of a spiritual temperament, you can learn a lot through a very interesting site called "Growth Online," which discusses "fundamental factors that enable an individual to grow and evolve." From my own experience, whenever I feel that I am "stuck" or otherwise not succeeding, I have found that 100% of the time it's because I have somehow hindered my success through limiting thoughts and behaviors - essentially, not being able to "get out of my own way" as the saying goes.
This extensive site uses a little different terminology than you might ordinarily hear in more mainstream Law of Attraction sites. But, Growth Online, run by an individual speeding on his way to true enlightenment (if he's not already there), discusses techniques to encourage positive "Life Response."
I have utmost respect for this individual, whom you'll meet at his site. He's taught me more about self and business growth in months than any number of other experts have in years. I'll not say more - just visit and decide for yourself.
Another site that has helped me understand at a very deep level that "people do not join a business - they join YOU," is Magnetic Sponsoring which offers a very inexpensive book on the subject. Also visit another one of my sites, http://www.truthtowealthonline.com/ to get a great free ebook on the subject of why a lot of folks just don't make it in internet marketing. It's no-nonsense, and no-excuses. All business. Again. See for yourself.
Finally - and I don't have a specific site to send you to on this topic - if people don't join a business, and they join YOU, then it stands to reason that YOU are also a good part of the reason someone may PURCHASE something from you. Those of you who know me know that I have a small commercial website from which I market Portable Garages and Shelters - hence the name, http://www.portablegaragesandshelters.com/ (pretty clever, huh? :)
Now... I won't pretend that these structures are something that everyone just can't live without - but a lot of folks can and do use them. There are also many, many dealers out there selling them, and also several manufacturers for them.
So, if a lot of us are selling the same or similar items, why should they buy from me? I employ what is (in the advertising copywriting lingo) a USP - Unique Selling Proposition. What is unique isn't the product. It isn't necessarily the price.
It is this: I make sure that my customers know that I CARE about them more than the average salesperson does (or at least appears to). I make sure they see it in my writing, when I answer the phone, or when I respond to an email. Do I get every order? No. Of course not. But I get the orders from people who want to know someone cares about them as a person, and not just the money I earn from the sale. After all, we are all one in this universe. If I show caring for others, I'm showing the same for my self and business.
So, at the end of the day, it comes down to this: We need to learn how to dissolve our self-induced limitations, and get out of our own way to allow the universal principles to work through us.
The concepts can be learned. Practice them consistently and with faith, and you WILL succeed.
Fair enough. After all, why be in business if not, ultimately, to earn one's daily bread?
It seems that a natural direction to take would be to figure out how to market in such a way that attracts the right customer or prospect to one's product and/or business opportunity. Hence, we can now find the term "attraction marketing" springing up everywhere.
Regardless of whether you own a bricks and mortar business on Main Street or your own a home based business opportunity that you are marketing on the internet - you need customers. The Main Street business - if you are selling something that a good number of people in town or passing by want and need - will most likely get buyers stopping in since they see your sign and store. Or, if you advertise in the local flyers, the local buyers will visit.
CAVEAT: We must hope that before you put up your shingle on Main Street, that you did some market research to ensure that there was enough demand for your product in your area. After all, if you absolutely love surfing, and really want to sell surfboards but live 4 hours from the coast in the mountains, would it make sense for you to have a surf shop?
It is not much different on the internet or in network marketing prospecting (Again, we must hope that you have done some market research to see what people are buying online before you start your business). We need to target our market. We need to learn how to attract the right people to our product, service, or opportunity. How do we do that?
Fortunately, this is a learned skill. You won't master it overnight, but you can - and should learn how to understand and use the universal principle of the Law of Attraction and how it pertains to business. I am not going to go into this here. There are dozens - if not hundreds of sites out there now who can teach you these principles. Just do a "Google Search" for "Law of Attraction."
However, 2 of my personal favorites include http://humanscience.wikia.com/wiki/The_Secret_Project, and http://mental-science.com/.
In addition, I'd like to turn your attention to a few other specific learning resources to get you started on some action steps that you can begin using the second you read them.
If you are of a spiritual temperament, you can learn a lot through a very interesting site called "Growth Online," which discusses "fundamental factors that enable an individual to grow and evolve." From my own experience, whenever I feel that I am "stuck" or otherwise not succeeding, I have found that 100% of the time it's because I have somehow hindered my success through limiting thoughts and behaviors - essentially, not being able to "get out of my own way" as the saying goes.
This extensive site uses a little different terminology than you might ordinarily hear in more mainstream Law of Attraction sites. But, Growth Online, run by an individual speeding on his way to true enlightenment (if he's not already there), discusses techniques to encourage positive "Life Response."
I have utmost respect for this individual, whom you'll meet at his site. He's taught me more about self and business growth in months than any number of other experts have in years. I'll not say more - just visit and decide for yourself.
Another site that has helped me understand at a very deep level that "people do not join a business - they join YOU," is Magnetic Sponsoring which offers a very inexpensive book on the subject. Also visit another one of my sites, http://www.truthtowealthonline.com/ to get a great free ebook on the subject of why a lot of folks just don't make it in internet marketing. It's no-nonsense, and no-excuses. All business. Again. See for yourself.
Finally - and I don't have a specific site to send you to on this topic - if people don't join a business, and they join YOU, then it stands to reason that YOU are also a good part of the reason someone may PURCHASE something from you. Those of you who know me know that I have a small commercial website from which I market Portable Garages and Shelters - hence the name, http://www.portablegaragesandshelters.com/ (pretty clever, huh? :)
Now... I won't pretend that these structures are something that everyone just can't live without - but a lot of folks can and do use them. There are also many, many dealers out there selling them, and also several manufacturers for them.
So, if a lot of us are selling the same or similar items, why should they buy from me? I employ what is (in the advertising copywriting lingo) a USP - Unique Selling Proposition. What is unique isn't the product. It isn't necessarily the price.
It is this: I make sure that my customers know that I CARE about them more than the average salesperson does (or at least appears to). I make sure they see it in my writing, when I answer the phone, or when I respond to an email. Do I get every order? No. Of course not. But I get the orders from people who want to know someone cares about them as a person, and not just the money I earn from the sale. After all, we are all one in this universe. If I show caring for others, I'm showing the same for my self and business.
So, at the end of the day, it comes down to this: We need to learn how to dissolve our self-induced limitations, and get out of our own way to allow the universal principles to work through us.
The concepts can be learned. Practice them consistently and with faith, and you WILL succeed.
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