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Become Their Trusted Advisor
...With FREE Advertising!
In the past six months, we've received a
lot of calls from successful financial advisors that are earning a net income of about $150,000 per year.
They are calling because they are fed up with working 60 hours or more each week; traveling all over the place;
chasing prospects; trying to make a sale!
Are you in the same situation as this advisor? How many more people could you
see, (or how much more free time would you have) if most, if not all of your
prospects were in your local community?
How much of your hard earned money are you spending on direct mail campaigns,
dinner seminars, etc. trying to generate leads? How much more effective would
these lead generation methods be, if the people you were contacting immediately
recognized your name as the financial expert in their area?
How much of your precious time are you spending on the phone following up on
those leads, trying to set an appointment? How many more appointments could you
set with those prospects, if those people already knew about you and the
valuable services you provide?
Do you want to make it easier to attract
people to you, set more appointments, close more sales, and spend much less time
traveling around? Then the people in
your local community must see and believe that you are the Trusted Financial
Advisor that they must see!
It’s not enough for you to call yourself a financial
advisor. It’s not enough to have legitimate designations after your name. It’s
not enough to be with a great company and have great products. It’s not enough
to be doing what’s right when you are with your prospects. You can be the very
best at what you do, but if no one knows it, or has ever heard of you, you’re
going to have a tough time achieving the success you desire.
Do you want to make your life a whole
lot easier?
Do you want to keep more of
your hard earned money?
Do you want to be closing a high percentage of your
sales?
Do you want to have more free time?
Then isn't time for you to work at becoming
the most recognized and trusted financial advisor in your local community?
Isn't that’s about constantly getting your name out there, showing them you
understand their concerns and demonstrating how you are helping people just like
them, to solve their current financial problems?
If you are the financial advisor that they read about all the time, and are
recognized as the financial expert in your community, then aren’t you going to
be the person they want to see?
Now, you do have a choice. You can pay to run expensive ads in your local
newspaper, TV or radio station. Or, you can look for ways to get free publicity.
The Power Of Free Publicity
What is free publicity? It's free advertising! It's any mention, listing, or
blurb about your product or service in a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, book,
manual, directory, or on TV or radio. But more importantly, it's much more
profitable than paid advertising.
How come?
Paid advertising is less credible because people instantly know they are being
sold something. However, free advertising has built-in credibility.
You might now be asking how this is possible.
Here's an example: Let's say your local newspaper gives your product or service
a positive review. This is positive advertising because the readers probably
trust that newspaper, and will therefore trust the review.
So how can you get thousands of dollars worth of free publicity?
Here's how:
1. Become a Local News Story
If you live in a small town, you will especially have an advantage in breaking
into the local media. Your local newspapers, TV and radio stations have to come
up with lots of news to give out everyday. Capitalize upon this and become news!
Many newspapers are especially interested in featuring stories about businesses.
Call or email your local newspapers and tell them about your business and they
may very well be interested in writing a story on you! You should also consider
contacting other magazines, newsletters, websites, email newsletters, and so
forth, which are directly related to your line of business.
Try to look at your business from an outsider's perspective. Why are you
special? How does your business improve the lives of your customer? Maybe you
are the first one in your area to do what you are doing. Maybe you are about to
celebrate an anniversary or milestone in your business. Have you recently
received an award? Find something special about your business that is
newsworthy. You are excited about your business, otherwise you would not be
doing it. Share that excitement. Do not expect someone else to decide what it is
about your business that is exciting. Make it something that sparks the
journalist's interest.
Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact
information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report)
and your monthly newsletter.
2. Send Out Press Releases
Stories about your services in the media are more believable and powerful than
any paid ad you could ever run. People generally trust the media, and statistics
show that most people first hear about a business through local media, i.e. TV,
radio or newspapers.
But in order for a press release to generate free publicity for you, it must be
well crafted, newsworthy, timely and full of benefits for the audience of a
particular publication. Most importantly, it must relate to a publication's
target audience.
People are largely unaware that much of what they read in the local and national
newspapers is in fact carefully planned PR. They are therefore more receptive
towards it and moreover believe it almost without question.
Photographs improve editorial take-up by 100%. A good photograph in support of a
press release will dramatically improve your chances of publication. Either
provide your own, or if the story is an event ask the press to send their
photographer.
Do it now - old news is no news! If you've got something newsworthy, don't wait
or the opportunity will be lost. Even simple things like staff promotions,
qualifications attained, hobby achievements, staff joining, babies, all make
acceptable PR stories, and always be on the lookout for the quirky and unusual.
Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact
information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report)
and your monthly newsletter.
3. Become the "Expert"
Write a few articles on a topic that is pertinent to your business and submit
these to various newspapers, magazines, trade journals, websites, association
newsletter, etc. Don't underestimate the free publicity that you will obtain
through this form of advertising. Always include your bio and contact
information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (a free report)
and your monthly newsletter, which as an author you're more than entitled to.
Ask for editorial coverage before paying for display advertising
If you plan to pay for display advertising or inserts in any type of publication
always ask before giving the order if you can have some editorial coverage as
condition of placing the advertising business. Many publications will agree at
this stage, and you'll have some free editorial to support your advertisement.
Some publications combine the two and sell 'advertorial' feature space, which
purports to be news, but is really a large paid-for advertisement.
4. Form Joint Ventures
This is one of the secrets that direct marketing experts have used for years to
increase their businesses for free. It's also a great way for you to break into
the big leagues.
Let's say you know of someone who has a tremendously responsive mailing list,
which targets your audience. Approach this individual and propose that you split
your profits in exchange for mailing your sales letter to his or her list, or
including your article in their newsletter.
Or, find a direct marketer who targets your audience, but sells a
non-competitive product or service. Ask them if they would be willing to slip
one of your promotional pieces (an insert) into their mailing. Most marketers
would be willing to do this as long as you either let them take the orders for
your products and split the profits, or split the costs of the mailing.
Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact
information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report)
and your monthly newsletter.
These are just a few of the powerful techniques you can use to tap into free
advertising. And there are numerous others that you could be using right now to
increase your recognition, to increase your leads and your sales. So what are
you waiting for?
“Acting on a good idea is better than just having a good idea.”
Jeremy Nason
Trainer, Coach & Mentor
'The 9 Out Of 10
Guys'
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