Selling still drives profits

My client, a successful restaurateur, recently invited me to participate in a focus group. The purpose was to get some feedback on a new app he’s using, and brainstorm some ideas for making it more user-friendly and profitable.

I won’t go into the details of the app, because frankly, I didn’t understand it and still don’t. But I did get a lesson on today’s high-tech business-thinking, especially among players who don’t have much to do with creating profit.

The company that developed the app and sold it to my client seemed overly concerned with bells and whistles, and hadn’t begun to figure out what the customer was thinking.

The social media “guru” wanted to make sure it was tied in with Twitter and Facebook, but couldn’t really articulate exactly how to do that, or how we’d track return on investment.

The engineer (not on this project, but on other app development stuff) spoke Greek to all of us, and didn’t seem to care a lick about how much it was all going to cost.

The sales question no one asked

So after going around the table offering ideas and answering questions about the app, it finally came to me.

“How can we use this to make more money?” I asked. I couldn’t believe no one else had asked or even thought of that question.

See, you can have the coolest apps, be king of the hill with Facebook “Likes,” and implement the latest mobile marketing initiatives, but none of that matters unless one other thing is happening: You’re getting more people to spend more money on things that are profitable to your business.

Common sense, right?

Why direct response copywriters are needed more than ever

Maybe direct response copywriting and marketing isn’t as sexy as QR codes, mobile marketing, and smart phone advances, but it’s needed more than ever.

Effective persuasion in marketing messages seems to have gone out the window in favor of high-tech gobbledygook. If you’re selling the high-tech stuff, of course that’s what you’re going to focus on.

But as a business owner, next time someone pitches you on their latest cool thing that everyone’s starting to use, ask them, “Will my customers and prospects use it?” and “Will it make me more money?”

If you’re not entirely confident with their response, consider putting your resources elsewhere. I’m a little biased, of course, but I’d recommend …

The copywriter who increases profits

One of my clients said, “I know whatever I ask Steve to do will bring added revenue.” Another client said, “Our website traffic is up and began generating new client contact almost immediately. Steve’s results speak for themselves.”

I’ll let you in on a secret few copywriters will tell you either.

A copy critique may be all you need

You don’t necessarily need to spend thousands or tens of thousands on a whole new marketing campaign including new web copy, email marketing messages, and landing pages and pay-per-click ads. Sometimes a simple critique with a few tweaks here and there will do the job.

If you want to get past the high-tech mumbo jumbo and start making more sales, let’s talk.