The Power of Simplicity

How often have we all been in situations where we spend a lot of time to find a solution and it later appears it has been right in front of us for some time.

Other times we hear or read about something a person discovered that appears amazingly simple but solves an age old question.

Then again a solution can look simple and elegant, even though the subject is not, like the theory of relativity. I still have an issue explaining it, but I can clearly see the simplicity and elegance of E=MC²

When it comes to building a successful business and keep it growing, marketing & sales are two of the most important ingredients to focus on. I have been studying these areas lately and like to bring you some of the results today and in the near future.

When it comes to marketing, I have developed an appreciation of the modern systems, especially in social networks like MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. There are many of these systems and I plan to create a course that will help people better understand how to use them for business. The best part is that most of what cost a huge amount of money in the past can now be had for free or very little cash.

The other aspect besides marketing is selling. The basic principle is pretty clear as we are all constantly exposed to offers of all kinds. What I find very intriguing is the complexity that has crept into all these messages. Sales copy on web pages gets longer and longer, people add videos, testimonials, etc. In some cases you get mail and have to dig to find out that it is actually a sales pitch in disguise.

A few days ago I received a message from Frank Kern (one of the guys who initially started StomperNet). He had a short video in which he spoke about a nugget of wisdom he had received from John Carlton, the copywriting guru. It mainly addressed the psychology of selling in our fast paced world, where nobody really has time to read or listen or watch anything longer than a few minutes.

When I first reviewed it I felt that it was so simple it would probably never work. The following few days I realized that I actually began applying it, and it seemed to resonate with me and the folks I was writing or talking to. Here are the three simple steps John Carlton told Frank Kern about successful selling:

1. Tell people in open, direct, simple terms: “Here is what I got!”
2. Keep going by providing a short, to the point, explanation under the heading (or a variation of): “Here is what it’ll do for you!”
3. Finish with a clear call to action that is easy to do under the headline: “Here is what I want you to do!” -   followed by a short explanation about the ”why”.

I am sure many of you will say: “Man, this is so simple and childish, it will never work.”  I challenge you to try and apply this approach. I have done it and it seems to work great, and saves a lot of time.

Next, I like to introduce one other aspect about selling and marketing. That’s the advantage of surveys to research your market. We all hear that we need to find out niche and then market to it. That is good advice.

When you have an idea of your niche, how do you know what the individuals living in this niche actually want? You can claim that you are the expert in this niche and offer them what you think they need. The better approach is to use surveys to find out before you loose a lot of time and money developing something your potential customers aren’t interested in or don’t understand.

I have been invited to participate in a new business opportunity. It is in the exploding health market, especially in specialty beverages. You know how many of those have shown up in our supermarkets. It feels like every day there is a new super-food, berry, or nut we are supposed to consume to improve our wellbeing.

I actually take my supplements and have a healthy drink every morning and it makes me feel good. That means I believe in the basic premise. What I don’t know is if I want to be in business in this field. That allows me to put my suggestion about selling and marketing to the test right here and now:

Here is what I got!

I am trying to find out if there really is a market for healthy juices and drinks, not just as a product on the supermarket shelf, but for a coach and leadership expert who loves to form teams. If I knew I could find enough people who join me in my team to benefit from the juice or drink, and make money marketing it, it could be the greatest business opportunity in our lifetime

Here is what’s in it for you!

You will take a few minutes to think about the topic. That will create clarity in your mind on two important subjects:

1. Should do more than you do know to improve your health?
2. Can you improve your health and your bank account at the same time?

Here is what I want you to do now!

I like to ask you to click on the link below and go through the survey I have created. You will see what I am talking about; think about the issue and the possible opportunity.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EMqn_2fYkFtl6nsQQ9G_2f_2fB0Q_3d_3d

Why should you take the survey?

1. You can tell me what you think and thereby help me make a decision to jump on this opportunity — or not. That is a huge service to me that I am grateful for and I hope it will make you feel good to have helped a fellow human being. As a gift I offer you my free report at http://www.meierhoefer.net/special
2. You will think about your own future and what you might be interested in doing or not doing, thereby creating new clarity about your goals, intentions, and dreams.

Finally, be aware that you will provide a wonderful service in about 5 minutes of your time and help develop statistical research data for eternity.

So, that’s it. Just about the quickest and shortest way to offer something, explain what it is, and what to do about it.

I hope you will do me the favor and take the survey. Then you should try the selling & marketing process yourself and let me know how it worked for you.

Axel Meierhoefer, AMC LLC