• I was going to write more about the direct training/cross-training thing today and show you the video I promised. However, I’m skipping over that for now... because... something happened to me yesterday that I want to get out while it’s fresh on my mind.

    I think you’ll find it interesting and downright valuable to your business...

    Here’s the story...

    You would think that after giving presentations to Google, Microsoft and tens of thousands of entrepreneurs from all around the world, that giving a presentation locally to NINE people would be a cake walk.

    Not so.

    Yesterday (on short notice), I had to give a presentation that I was more nervous about than any other in previous memory. And when I tell you “who” I gave the presentation to, you may be a little shocked that I was so nervous...

    It was a group of nine, FIVE-YEAR-OLDS!

    Can you imagine. Here I am, a guy who’s received standing ovations from influential, important and sophisticated business people the world over... “shaking in my boots” at the thought of talking to some kids for just 15 to 30 minutes.

    Seems absurd, doesn’t it?

    On the surface, sure. However, I wasn’t giving a presentation to just any random group of kids. Nope. I was giving a presentation to my daughter’s class. And I had to tell them, or try to explain to them, “what” I do for a living.

    Therein lies the rub. Lot of pressure there.

    First of all, I, and many other direct response entrepreneurs, have a very hard time explaining to adults what we do for a living. And second, I didn’t want to say anything to embarrass my daughter... or... make anyone think less of her, in any way. And third, I wanted to say something that would—hopefully—be of some value to them.

    It was stressful, to say the least.

    In fact, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say until right up to the very last minute...

    Then it hit me!

    I’ll explain what I do through example. Example or demonstration being one the best ways to convey information... especially to kids.

    So here’s what I did:

    Actually, let me back up just a bit. On the way over to the school, I happened to be talking to Jay Abraham and asked him what he thought I should do. And he gave me this idea:

    He said I should start my presentation by explaining to them that I’m like a cross of a book writer, Miley Cyrus (super-popular to pre-teen or “tween” girls) and Ms. Melissa (their teacher). That is, I write books like they read, I get up on stage and perform like Miley... and... I teach people like Ms. Melissa.

    It seemed to register. So after that...

    I had them take out a sheet of paper. Then I asked them if there was something they wanted that they didn’t have. A toy or something similar. Naturally, they ALL had something they wanted that they didn’t have.

    So I asked them to tell me what that was. Then, I asked them to draw a picture of it. They did.

    Then, I explained to them that, when you want something from someone (in their case, their parents)... or... when you ask someone to buy something for you, you need to give them a “reason why”, if they buy it for you, it will benefit them.

    So, under the pictures, I had them write “how” their parents would benefit. Of course, I had to lead them a little in this exercise. For instance, one little girl wanted a teddy bear. So, I asked her, “Do you think having a teddy bear would help you fall asleep faster and please your parents?” She nodded, yes. So, I said, “Then draw a picture of a teddy bear and write that it will help you fall asleep faster.” Here’s her picture:

    pic teddy bear Shaking In My Boots

    Another little girl wanted a turtle. So, I asked her, “Would a turtle help you learn how to take care of things better?” She said, “Yeah”. So I told her to draw a turtle and write down that it will help here learn how to take care of things better. Here’s her picture:

    pic turtle Shaking In My Boots

    Pretty neat, huh? Check out the rest of them below...

    pic kids 1 Shaking In My Bootspic kids 2 Shaking In My Boots
    pic kids 3 Shaking In My Bootspic kids 4 Shaking In My Boots
    pic kids 5 Shaking In My Bootspic kids 6 Shaking In My Boots
    pic kids 7 Shaking In My Boots

    Anyway, after I led each of the kids through this little exercise... I then explained to them that, what I do for a living is, I teach entrepreneurs and business owners how to sell more of their products and services by telling their customers how it will benefit them. I also explained that the business owners don’t get a “toy” or a “pet”, but they get money, which helps them live and provide for their families.

    It’s the best I could come up with on short notice. But I think they at least, “sort of” understood what I do. If you want to download a PDF of all their pictures with benefits, I’ve included a link at the bottom of the page.

    But before you do that...

    I have an exercise for you (that’s somewhat similar) that I learned from Dan Kennedy many years ago. And if you take it seriously, it will help you create a very valuable reference tool for your business.

    The Exercise -- Take a sheet of paper out and write the most detailed description you can of one of your favorite TV characters. Doesn’t matter who it is, just as long as you are very familiar with their show. Describe where he (or she, if you prefer) lives. How he dresses. His interests. His likes and dislikes. What he thinks about common subjects: money, sex, religion, politics, etc. And so on.

    Next...

    Go through the same process for your “ideal customer”. Then, if it’s easier to profile the TV character than your customer, you need to fix that. The reason being: the more “in tune” you are with your customer, the more value you’ll deliver to them... and... in return, the more value you’ll receive from them (translation: you’ll sell more!).

    Also, another benefit of this exercise that's not so obvious is you may be able to ferret out the “hidden desires” of your ideal customer. This is important because it’s often the “hidden, non-obvious” benefits that bring a message home and flips a prospect to buying.

    A great example from my buddy John Carlton: He writes ads that sell golf instruction videos. Well, almost any decent marketer—in that industry—knows that people really want to hit big-time drives. And that proves out. That is, “blasting the ball farther down the fairway” is the benefit that sells videos the most effectively.

    However, one of the “hidden, non-obvious” benefits there, and a benefit men golfers really identify with is... “humiliating their friends” by out-driving them off the tee.

    Now, you most likely wouldn’t know that unless you were really in tune with that market. It’s what John calls “getting hip to the market”... and... if you've ever read one of his golf ads... you know, that he knows, how to “get hip” to a market.

    He did it by becoming a golfer and consumer of all things related. And that got him neck-deep in the lingo, attitudes, and zeitgeist of the golf crowd.... helping him understand both the obvious and non-obvious benefits that would move a golfer to buy.

    So, if after doing the exercise above, you find your level of understanding of your ideal customer lacking... here are some tips for improving it:

    1. Like John, be a consumer in your market. Buy stuff. Interact with the competition. (Hopefully, you are selling something you are passionate about... that makes this process much easier and more enjoyable.)
    2. Read your customer service mail/e-mails... and/or... record and listen to your customer service calls. Look for common denominators
    3. Get on the phone (on a regular schedule) and talk to some of your customers (I know this is hard for many online entrepreneurs... but it’s an invaluable experience.) And get to “know” them. Ask them questions about their life... not just their business. Ask them what’s important to them. And so on.
    4. If you blog regularly, read the comments (all of them).

    Doing these things will give you a deeper understanding of your “ideal customer”... thus... improving your effectiveness when you deal with them in any and every way (another translation: you’ll have higher profits).

    One more thing: I don’t know if my presentation helped my daughter’s class (being they are five), and, upon reflection, I’m not really sure if it was the right thing to do. Let me know what you think.

    To Higher Profits,
    Rich

    P.S. Once you get a detailed and accurate description of your “ideal customer” on paper, laminate it and give it to everyone important to your business. Especially anyone that has anything to do with your marketing/advertising functions.

    P.P.S. Here’s the link to download the kids’ pictures (with benefits):

    Download Kids Ads To Parents PDF

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