Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Dear vleshawilcox,

For the last year or so I've been drawn towards the world of
direct response marketing. And in particular, I've been studying the strategies of Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer.

They're both interesting blokes and in March (and again just last month) I was lucky enough to hear first Dan and then Bill give separate—but similar—presentations on business building.

Here's what Dan might say to you, were he the one answering your question:

"The price of oil? The economy? Why not add in that the planets are not aligned in QUITE the way you'd like or that the Runes were not cast JUST as you'd asked. While you're at it, why not sacrifice a goat to the great god of commerce?"

Pithy. Direct. Compelling.

Now, one wither LIKES Dan Kennedy and his opinions or one does not.

One either hears what he has to say and then takes action, or one declines to do either and one suffers the wrath of the market and blames EVERY SOURCE BUT ONE.

One's self.

See, where I'm going with this is here:

Now, it may well APPEAR difficult to, as you say "get people interested in gym memberships", but that might only be because you're trying to read the label while your stuck inside the bottle, which isn't easy. I know this because it's happened to me.

So, stop trying. Duh! Sounds pretty obvious, doesn't it? Stop trying. It took me YEARS to learn this lesson and I think the problem—your problem—is that you're trying to sell something
that no one appears to be interested in.

Now, if we look at this logically, it OUGHT to tell us that the audience is wrong. But the thing is, the audience is SELDOM
wrong. And the market is NEVER wrong.

This is the nettle that LOTS of sales and business people never grasp. They ignore the relevance and significance of what it is they're offering and they blame the market for not demanding
the thing being offered.

This is a HUGE miscalculation. Huge. Then, to add insult to injury, they carry on peddling the same old crap with the same lame old message and the market just gets SICK of hearing the message
so they turn off their hearing aids and the message becomes invisible.

The big take away here is NOT that no one's buying but that no one's interested in that SPECIFIC message. Which means there's only one solution: CHANGE YOUR MESSAGE!

If you're selling what no one wants to buy, offer what people
want: the results, not the work. The perfect body, not the sweat.

Tailor programs at niche groups and make those programs
first: too good to pass up, and second: too affordable to ignore.

You've said there is nowhere left to go. Hmm.

Tell me. Have you ever watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?

There's a scene where the Nazis are CONVINCED they've found the Map Room at Tannis—the room that will finally give the position of the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant.

Sadly, what their arrogance has blinded them to (and what we are about to find out) is that they labour in vain.

Aha!

From the top of a rocky ledge Indy and Sallah (played by John Rhys-Davies) are discussing the medallion that holds the key to the whole puzzle. Suddenly, (God, I love stuff like this), suddenly, it dawns on Sallah that the medallion that the NAZIs are using—the one burned into the hand of Toht—the black-coated, bespectacled mystery man from the Gestapo—earlier in the film only has writing on ONE side. While the ORIGINAL medallion has writing on BOTH sides.

If there were an orchestra playing right now this would be the bit where they'd play "Dahn, dahn, daaaahn!"

This is a pivotal moment in the movie and it's a moment that changes EVERYTHING.

Why?

Because with this realization—and with the knowledge that the staff required for the medallion key must be reduced in length for it to work in its alloted place and at the hour mentioned in the prophesy—Indy and Sallah both form the same conclusion at exactly the same time. Which leads to that memorable line when they both say "They're digging in the wrong place!"

Guess where you're digging?

Stop selling to your needs (in fact, STOP selling altogether) and begin seeing things from your potential member's viewpoint.

They want the perfect body—but they want it on their terms. So produce a series of programs that caters to different niches that gives those niches that perfect body or that instills that confidence through results.

People change because they want to be attractive. So give them instructors they can relate to (or that they can fancy the pants off). Market to people's COMPULSIONS not to your presumptions.

There's a world of difference between the two. Use social proof and before and after comparisons. Partner with an online body fit resource if you can't put together your own program. All you need is someone to teach it—someone potential members can relate to.

Launch a competition. Offer a grand prize. Make it hop! Use the power of "you too can have a body like this in just 12 weeks!" and pimp the daylights out of it.

Be direct. Tell your audience who the programs are for and also, tell them who the program is NOT for. This can help create a sense of kinship.

At heart, we all want to belong and if you're smart about this
you can use this strategy to your advantage. Consider using a message that basically says "Want this result (the perfect body)? Do this (the action) and do it here (at your gym), with us (the tribe for people to aspire to be a member of) and get this (the attention of the opposite sex, the admiring glance etc.)!"

The key is to find people's pain and to then offer them specific solutions to that pain in ways that are compelling and meaningful to them. This way, your product is bought rather than being sold.

The difference between the two is night and day. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA