I’ve been working through Middleton’s InfoGuru Manual this past week and he’s got one section about creating your core marketing message.  This article gives some great examples.  You can find out more about Robert Middleton and Action Plan Marketing on this page.

So, from February 2007, here’s Robert Middleton with Marketing Messages That Work.

In my current Fast Track To More Clients Program, this week’s assignment was to create an effective marketing message based on the following four steps:

1. Your target market or ideal client.
You need to identify who you work with so that your prospect will know immediately if your message is for them or not.

2. The problem this client is dealing with.
This gets the prospect’s attention by hitting a nerve and letting them know you understand their situation.

3. The outcome that resolves this problem.
Declaring the kind of outcome they can expect makes them want to know more about your services.

4. Story or example that proves you can do it.
Telling a story makes your services real to the prospect. If you helped someone else, you can help them as well.

I’d like to share some of the better messages with you. Use them as a template to help you create your own messages. Stick to the four steps and you’ll have a much more powerful and attention-getting message.

Example #1 – Healthcare Consultant

We work with healthcare organizations, who struggle with hiring and keeping really good people.We help them reduce turnover by up to 70% and hire employees that are more productive.

A good example is one client that was really disappointed by the work ethic of new employees and struggled with 65% turnover. We were able to significantly raise the bar on employee work ethic and reduce turnover by 70%.

Example #2 – Financial Planner

I help people with a six figure incomes who are getting clobbered by taxes, staring at college and retirement and wondering how in the world they’re going to pay for it all.I show them how to send their kids to private college for about the same cost as public colleges, maintain their lifestyles at the same time and fund retirement.

A typical example is a couple that came to me who have two children that will attend college. They didn’t know how much college would cost, how much they should save and how much they were going to need to retire. I showed them how to save over $18,000 in taxes oriented around college funding by finding new ways to save on income taxes. I call these savings a “Tax Scholarship.” That might mean an additional $200,000 for retirement or a more expensive college for their kids.

Example #3 – Management Consultant

I work with CEOS of small to medium sized businesses who are experiencing a steady decline in productivity with their management teams and employees and are finding training programs ineffective. Lack of personal accountability and self-management skills has led to something that looks like procrastination and productivity loss.We increase self-management and personal accountability through practical, easy-to-administer tools that develop leadership growth not only in a local setting, but with remote team members.

One of my clients was a commercial construction firm that had tried several times (and several years) to implement a strategic planning process. However, the CEO had difficulty following up with the many goals that were set and holding the executive team accountable for all the steps and due dates. We implemented an online solution that gave the CEO a bigger picture of what was happening with the strategic plan and gave him the means to follow up quickly with team players that were falling behind. I advised him to move more into a coaching role with the team through this process. It resulted in the company implementing for the first time in 10 years all the goals they had set in their strategic plan. This had a very important impact on the bottom line in a depressed commercial construction market. While their competitors were struggling, they were doing well and did not have to lay off any employees.

Example #4 – Life and Relationship Coach

I work with individuals who have been unsuccessful in finding their ideal partner and with couples who struggle to keep their marriage intact.I help them to understand themselves more fully as individuals and I introduce them to concepts, exercises and skills that will increase their chances for a meaningful and lasting partnership.

I worked with a couple who was planning to get married but they argued incessantly. One of the partners had serious doubts about moving forward. I helped them identify the real underlying problems and taught them to see “the relationship” as a priority. They learned many things such as how to create a mutually satisfying partnership through respect, responsibility, and good communication. Their fighting stopped and they were able to resolve their stuck areas. They ended up getting married and three years later they are happy and expecting their first child.

Example #5 – Retail Consultant

I work with independent retailers who are frustrated with trying to get shoppers to buy.I help them create the kind of shopping experience that gets people to come inside AND buy.

A used music store that I worked with that was struggling to get people to stop and come in the store instead of just walking by. I helped them transform their dark, unappealing window, into a dynamic storefront that would get their customers’ attention.

Example #6 – Management Consultant

We work with busy entrepreneurs and business owners of successful small and medium companies who are frustrated because they are leaving money on the table because they are not getting important back-burner projects completed.We help them get a laser beam focus on what will move their business off the plateau and get those key projects completed and producing results for them, not gathering dust on the shelf.

We recently worked with a 150 year old manufacturing company. In order to bid bigger projects, they needed a higher level of certification in their industry. They had a history of knowing what they needed to do but failing to execute it because they were so busy manufacturing their product. We helped them develop an easy, step-by-step plan so they could see how it was possible. Now they are certified and able to track their inventory, bid more profitable projects and keep their customers happy. Just as important for them was the pride and accomplishment of working together as a team as achieving the goal.

 You’ll note that all of these marketing messages have adhered to the four steps. It’s clear who the service is for, why the service is needed in the first place, what the service actually delivers and proof that they have achieved tangible results with clients.

It doesn’t get much more complicated than that. If your marketing message is not getting results for you, use this formula to increase its impact.

The More Clients Bottom Line: Your marketing message is the foundation of your business. Create a good one and reap the rewards for years to come!

I’m a big fan of Robert Middleton at Action Plan Marketing.  There aren’t a lot of people who blog about selling services but Robert produces some great articles and materials.  I’ve had some clients use his tools before and I’ve been very happy with the results.

I plan to feature a number of his articles here.  Here’s one from June 2008 that introduces one of his key concepts called Marketing Ball.

So…..introducing Robert Middleton.

Playing the Game

As I lead my Fast Track Workshops around the country, work with my Marketing Coaches and interact with business owners in general, I pay a lot of attention to how well (or how poorly) people are following my Seven Principles of Marketing.

The Seven Principles are:

1. Marketing Ball – The Game of Marketing
2. Marketing Mindset – The Inner Game of Marketing
3. Marketing Syntax – The Language of Marketing
4. Marketing Message – Getting Attention and Interest
5. Marketing Currency – Written Marketing Materials
6. Marketing Strategies – The How-to of Marketing
7. Marketing Structure – Marketing Action Plans

Where do you think you’re the strongest? The weakest?

All of these principles are important, and if you are weak in one or more of them, you’re going to have problems attracting clients consistently. But for me, one stands out as the most important, yet least understood and practiced.

And that’s “The Game of Marketing.”

To most people, this is the least interesting as it’s very process-oriented.We’re more interested in strategies – the marketing how-to’s and techniques that actually do the job of attracting new clients (from speaking to blogging).

But if you don’t know how to play the game, all those great strategies won’t get you very far.

Let’s look at the Marketing Ball analogy.

Take a rookie baseball player who has great talents and abilities in the four major activities of baseball: throwing, catching, hitting and running. He’s the best there is in all four areas — a potential champion.

But imagine that this baseball player doesn’t yet know the rules of the game. What will happen when he gets out onto the field? He’ll throw, catch, hit and run. But it will become painfully clear to his teammates that he’s not really playing baseball (and not helping them win the game).

He’ll need some remedial training in the rules of baseball.

The whole aim of the game of baseball is to score runs. Throwing, catching, hitting and running are are only means to that end.

As I was writing this, I got a testimonialfrom Mim Grace who just attended my Cincinnati Fast Track Workshop. She said:

“I have given dozens and dozens and dozens of talks about EFT and TAT and have never gotten a client. Last Friday night I gave a talk to 15 cancer survivors following your guidelines and got two long term clients! I look forward to more successes! Thanks!”

What was the difference? After all, she’d already given a lot of talks before. But they didn’t result in any clients. Then she learned how to play the marketing ball game. She took the steps to move the prospects around the bases.

Think of all the marketing activities you’ve tried but haven’t gotten very good results with. In the marketing game there are six distinct marketing steps, from your initial connection with a prospect, to an appointment where the selling process starts.

How many of these are you using?

1. Affiliation – Marketing to those you have a connection with
2. Attention – Using a marketing message that generates interest
3. Familiarity – Becoming a known and trusted entity
4. Information – Providing the materials to educate your prospects
5. Experience – Giving your prospects a taste of your work
6. Follow-up – Being proactive in making sales appointments

Chances are, you’re using only one or two of these. And if you skip steps, you get struck out. Here are some losing plays you may be familiar with:

• Trying to get attention before you have affiliation. Also known as cold calls. Typically results in a high rejection rate.
• Getting attention and trying to jump right away to follow-up. The prospect feels pressure and does not reciprocate.
• Developing familiarity with a group of prospects (say, in an organization), and then not providing detailed information on your services.
• Providing information and even an experience of what you do (say a presentation), and then failing to follow-up.

Those are four ways of striking out at Marketing Ball. What I want everyone to get is that marketing isn’t the problem. It’s how you’re playing the game. Your effectiveness as a marketer starts with mastering the rules and then applying the best strategies.

It goes without saying that the Fast Track Workshops are a great place to learn the rules of the game and how to play in a way that attracts more clients.

Allan here again….I hope you enjoyed this article.  If you like what Robert has to say, have a look at his web site at actionplanmarketing.com and make sure you sign up for his free newsletter and subscribe to his blog.  And while you’re subscribing to his blog, don’t forget to subscribe to mine as well!

Let me know what you think about this article and how you can apply it to your business.  Please leave a comment below.