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project 03 :: Internet Marketing :: Advertising and PR 01
A Lesson From “The Apprentice” That Can Make You A Master
Reaching your goals with promoting affiliate programs, or marketing on
the net in general, is influenced by numerous issues; the item you
settle on to market, the mode of advertising you utilize, the amount of
your advertising budget, etc. One commody in particular has existed
since the birth of the internet. It has previously, and still is
producing large sums of cash for scores of net savy persons. The
product I am talking about is information. Viewing the pages of this
site you will discover much data on marketing programs, marketing, web
site creation, advertising and a great deal more. Enjoy!
I have to admit, I was curious.
When I saw previews of a new show called “The Apprentice,” it made me
want to at least watch the premiere to see what was going on.
Immediately, I was hooked. The whole idea of candidates - from all
walks of life, not just college grads fresh from their commencement
ceremonies - vying for a position in one of Donald Trump’s
organizations piqued my interest. What kept my interest were the
real-life advertising lessons every business owner needs to be reminded
of.
Take, for instance, one episode where the teams were challenged to
create an ad campaign. I was, needless-to-say, on the edge of my seat
for the entire show. One team immediately decided to phone the client
and setup an appointment to find out about the product, the end user,
and other aspects that would make a big difference in creating the
campaign. (Smart move!)
The other team, however, said they didn’t have time to talk with
the client. They were running behind schedule. Meeting with the client
- in their opinion - would just waste an hour or two that could have
been spent on more important tasks. (Excuse me?)
What happened? First of all, my husband came charging into the
living room asking, “Do you believe that? Even *I* know you have to
talk to the customer first!” Yes, he had been listening to me after
all.
In the end, the campaign from the team who did speak with the
client won the challenge. Once the losing team arrived in the
boardroom, the project leader, Jason (Mr. “We Don’t Have Time To Talk
With the Client”), really got it from all sides.
Donald Trump’s assistants, George and Carolyn, made a point of
bringing up the fact that the client was not contacted. Jason’s own
teammates made a point of bringing up that the client was never
contacted. And Donald? To quote, Donald said, “That was a HUGE mistake…
you’re fired!”
This was fairly early in the show so you would have thought the
other contestants would have learned from Jason’s mistake. Not so.
There was yet another episode where an Apprentice put what they wanted
over what the client wanted/needed.
In this task, the teams were charged with selling Donald’s
new product, Trump Ice (bottled water). The winner was simply the team
who sold the most in a given period of time. Nick, a salesman by trade,
was immediately confident his team would win if they would just step
aside and let him work his magic.
Ereka, the project manager for Nick’s team, urged Nick to sit with
her at the computer and research the market and the customer base for
bottled water. Nick wouldn’t even hear of it. To quote, “Telling me how
to sell is like someone telling the Pope how to pray." So off went Nick
using his same “high energy” sales pitch on every customer and focusing
on what Nick wanted to sell - instead of finding the best benefits for
the clients.
What happened? Nick flopped time and time again. A teammate (Bill)
jumped in during one sales meeting and helped the client to understand
the benefits of buying Trump Ice. Bill made the sale.
In the boardroom, George immediately noted his disappointment in
how little the team seemed to know about their prospective customers.
And Donald chimed in by saying he had no idea why Nick thought his
sales skills were so great when he had no clue about the customers he
was selling to. Ouch!
The bottom line? The team lost. Why? Because Nick was busy trying
to sell what he wanted to sell, and in the way he wanted to sell it,
with no regard for the customer whatsoever.
The moral of the story? Know your customers. They are the ones with
the money. It doesn’t matter what you like. If *they* aren’t happy with
your site, your copy, your graphics, your product, or your service…
they’ll abandon you cold.
When you’re creating a business plan, when you’re writing copy,
when you’re creating a website, or developing a brochure. It’s not
about you… it’s all about them. If one of the richest and most
profitable businessmen in the world tells you target market research is
vital to success, you can bet it is a wise strategy to follow.
Karon Thackston © 2004
http://www.copywritingcourse.com
About The Author
Copy not getting results? Learn to write seo copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com.
Be sure to check out Karon’s latest e-report “How To Increase Keyword
Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
We hope you found the information on this page useful and will return often to browse
the many articles throughout our site. We will be adding new material on an ongoing
basis in order to keep our visitors up to date on the latest promotion and marketing
information and tools that allow so many marketers to earn a full time living on the
internet.
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