Ever been in a situation where someone shows interest in your services and they ask for more information or want to see your web site? You send the information or forward a link to your site. In a few days you call them back and they don't return your call. You try again and they seem to have disappeared down a black hole.

What happened? Very simply put... Your materials struck you out!

Look, if you have lousy materials, it's a bit like wearing a sign around your neck that says, "I have no idea how to explain what I do. If you want to do business with me, it's not going to be easy."

How do your materials strike you out? Let me count the ways...

Your materials are ugly - Funny thing about our own marketing materials; no matter how bad they look, we tend to love them! Truly one of the mysteries of the universe. Recently someone sent me a link to their new web site. It was poorly laid out, the text was hard to read, there were no graphic elements except the logo. All-in-all a mess. And if your materials are a mess, why would you expect someone to read them?

Solution - Hire a professional with some design smarts who can give you a hand. It's an investment that will pay off many times.

Your materials are confusing - If people don't understand what your business is about in the first few seconds, they are unlikely to read any further. Today I was directed to a web site that supposedly offered some kind of interactive voice service by web. Sounded interesting. But I couldn't figure out for the life of me what the site was about. I clicked on a Flash presentation hoping it would enlighten me. It went on forever about "Buzz," never getting to the point of what they were offering. I clicked off in disgust and doubt I'll visit again.

Solution - Get crystal-clear about your message. Whom are your services for? Why do they need your services in the first place? What can you offer that meets those needs? Why is your service unique, special or valuable? Why should I keep reading?

Your materials don't persuade - They just sit there. This is a problem with writing style. Many materials are too academic or flat. They have no life. They are written in the passive voice. They don't take a stand on anything. They are nothing but concepts, no stories or narrative. In a word, they are boring. I think it was the legendary David Ogilvy who said, "You cannot bore somebody into buying from you."

Solution - Write like you speak. Be conversational and colloquial. Get passionate and controversial. Take a stand. Above all else, spend more time telling your readers what they will get, not what you do (yawn).

Your materials are too sketchy - A myth persists that nobody reads anymore. Long copy never gets read. Detailed information is bad form. Nonsense. People won't read what they are not interested in. But if they are interested, they will read a lot. Marketing materials that are nothing but bullet points are what don't get read. For most, they are meaningless, so people just skim over them, looking for the meat they never find.

Solution - Tell a complete story. Give people the information they are looking for. Answer all their questions. Tell stories. Give them the fascinating details. It will create a bond between you and your readers.

Your materials don't ask for action - After you've told your story, you do nothing. You don't suggest anything, recommend anything or ask anything of your reader. Why not? Everyone wants direction. They don't want to be pushed but they loved being pulled gently into action. If you make it hard to know what to do next, or are unclear about how to start working with you, they'll hesitate and go elsewhere.

Solution - Figure out what you want your prospect to do once they have read your materials. Then direct them to do just that: "Go to our website and fill out our assessment on leadership. We will call you next week to discuss your results." It's that simple.

Marketing Flashes on How Your Materials Strike You Out

• The first thing you need to do to improve your materials is pretend you are the prospect. Step back and ask yourself if your materials are giving them what they need or not.
• Good marketing materials take time. Sometimes a lot of time. That's the price of excellence. I've redesigned my web site five times. Believe me, it was worth the time.
• Writing is hard work. Even if it flows easily, it's hard. It's hard because you haven't yet committed to getting good at it. Writing is the "Master" business skill. Neglect working on it at your peril.
• When you find a good example of great marketing materials, you'll know. Study them closely. Look at the design, the colors, the type, the headlines, the copy, everything. Steal what you can for your materials.
• Don't get complacent. I'm amazed at the many web sites that I've designed that never get updated. Your materials need to be dynamic, living, breathing expressions of your business as it is right now. Keep polishing them up.
  

This article is by Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Robert's web site is a comprehensive resource on marketing for Independent Professionals. For free marketing resources and valuable marketing tools visit http://www.actionplan.com.

© Robert Middleton, All rights reserved.