Success Tips Newsletter

In this issue: To get what you need, stay the "magic 7"

Summary: Getting action from others is a matter of getting, and staying, in their magic 7. This newsletter covers several of the key elements that can get and keep you in the magic 7 long enough to get the action you need to get what you want in life.

by Eric Albertson

Getting what you want in life often means getting in others' magic 7.

As you may recall from last week, scientists have found that most of us can give attention only to somewhere between five and 11 ideas at any given time. For most, seven different things is about what we can handle. We call those seven things "the magic 7."

I think it was Earl Nightingale who said, "We move in the direction of our currently most dominant thoughts." The magic 7 represents the currently most dominant thoughts. If you are not in your target's currently most dominant thoughts at the right time, and for a sufficient time, nothing will happen. You won't make the sale.

First, to make use of the magic 7 in your world, you might ask where do people have gaps that your offering can fill? Writing is weightlifting for marketing. Consider writing down the gap you fill, again and again, until it is clear and it aligns with gaps your target market will likely feel, such as:

Family, friends, fun, finance (cash flow today), fitness, fortune (net worth) and faith.

Or, to be more precise, consider the 16 basic drivers*:

Power is the desire to influence others.

Independence is the desire for self-reliance.

Curiosity is the desire for knowledge.

Acceptance is the desire for inclusion.

Order is the desire for organization.

Saving is the desire to collect things.

Honor is the desire to be loyal to one's parents and heritage.

Idealism is the desire for social justice.

Social contact is the desire for companionship.

Family is the desire to raise one's own children.

Status is the desire for social standing.

Vengeance is the desire to get even.

Romance is the desire for sex and beauty

Eating is the desire to consume food.

Physical activity is the desire for exercise of muscles.

Tranquility is the desire for emotional calm.

*Taken in whole from Steven Reiss's book, Who Am I; The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Berkley Press 2002.

When there is no gap, it is difficult to get into the magic 7. The magic 7 is mostly filled with gaps that need to be filled, such as these examples of internal conversations that the people in your target market might have:

"We can't make the cubes any smaller; we have to get more office space."

"We are making lots more money, but our bottom line is staying the same."

"My marketing doesn't seem to have an impact on our revenue at all, anymore."

"That was a near-miss on the freeway. Had I died, I am not sure that my life insurance would really get the job done for my wife and kids. What have I been thinking?"

So how do you actually get into the magic 7? The door into the magic 7 takes the form of questions related to one of the above. For example:

"I see you are growing 30 percent every year. How are you going to handle the growth in terms of office space?"

"Is your bottom line growing at least as fast, or faster, than your revenue?"

"Is your marketing 100 percent accountable? Can you run an ROI and show what every dollar does for your bottom line?"

"What will it take each year for your wife and kids to have a life you would be proud of in the event that you were to die unexpectedly?"

And so on...

If you struggle with asking questions that turn into revenue, a good starting point is our book, Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions. Remember, everything we sell is backed by a no-questions- asked 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. This book doesn't contain a wasted word. It can help you make more money tomorrow.

When you ask a question that relates to a perceived gap (pain or aspiration), you start a conversation in the person's mind. Once that conversation starts, you are in the magic 7, but just for a moment.

Now you need to feed that conversation with a clear, powerful and realistic outcome if you want it to continue.

For example:

"We help rapidly-growing organizations who are out of space and have no time to move and get the room they need, without disrupting daily operations."

"We help rapid-growth companies increase their bottom lines faster than their revenues."

"We help companies avoid revenue stagnation and achieve growth through 100 percent accountable marketing."

"We help responsible parents make certain that they have enough of the right insurance to feel proud that they have given their kids a secure financial future no matter what."

Done correctly, the response will be: "Tell Me More." When you hear this, you know you have the opportunity to take up residence in the person's magic 7. Don't get too excited. It is just an opportunity. Nothing more; nothing less.

Now you have to find a way to stay in the magic 7 until they buy, die or refer.

The sales and marketing sales-cycle graveyard is full of sales-cycles that died right here because the marketer and sales professional had not thought through what they would say next to keep their spot in the magic 7.

Every product and service is different in terms of the number of exposures that need to be in the magic 7 to get the sale. In my experience, the vast majority of marketers and sales professionals have no idea of what to say, how to say it, where to say it, or how often to say it to be part of the magic 7 long enough to get the sale, whatever the sale might be.

So, there are two challenges at this point: 1.) How often to say it? 2.) What to say.

Here is a general perspective about how many times you might want to communicate about what you do.

Long ago, someone (I believe at Harvard or Dartmouth), did a study. Here is what they found: If you want to be "top-of-mind" when a decision is made, you must be in touch six to seven times in a 12 month period. Specifically:

After contact #1, 50% quit communicating (reaching out to the target).

After contact #2, 65% quit communicating.

After contact #3, 79% quit communicating.

After contact #4, 89% quit communicating (and the harvest of low hanging fruit began).

After contact #5, you become a factor in the prospect's mind for the first time.

After contact #6, the prospect begins to feel like s(he) knows and trusts you a little.

After contact #7, you are earning "top-of-mind" awareness for the first time.

After contact #8, you are the only person to make eight contacts sequentially

After contact #9, when your prospect is ready to buy, you have a 90 percent chance of being called.

Great Questions, and multiple contacts about a target's perceived gap get you into the magic 7 and dramatically increase the likelihood of your being considered. And getting the sale.

Equally as powerful, every internal conversation that prospects have that includes you, your message, and your branding (and is not matched by a viable competitor or alternative), increases the likelihood of your being the chosen one. Just watch Geico and Nationwide. Who do you think is winning?

The second key is what you say and how you say it, so that it is both relevant and heeded by your target.

How to craft those messages and how to get them attended to, is at the core of our Marketing Fast Track Program. Our intention with the program is to give you both the knowledge and the experience to help you get and stay in the magic 7 long enough to make your pipeline work. The intended yield is the MBA (massive bank account).

We will touch on these again in this newsletter in the months ahead. We hope these revisits will increase your knowledge. However, you will have to gain your experience on your own. Or, you can take our class, and we will help you with the experience part, too.  

If you want to get the revenue and profits flowing sooner, rather than later, the Marketing Fast Track Program will take you through the elements necessary for most business people to get into, and stay in, the magic 7 of their target markets.

The next class starts October 11^th at 8 am PT, 11 am ET and 4 pm GMT. I have had many requests to make it easier for the EU to take part in the class at a civilized hour of the day. Your wish has been granted. Register now.

Each session is recorded with the same equipment used by Public Broadcasting, and will be posted to a private web site along with all of the slides to support long-term learning.

I will do another Marketing Fast Track Program starting in November that will start late in my day so my thousands of readers on the Pacific Rim, including Australia and New Zealand, can participate at a civilized hour, as well. The sign-up for the Pacific Rim program will be available in a few weeks. I anticipate the course will be happening at 10 am, Australia time. If interested, just shoot me an email with PACIFIC RIM in the subject line and I will let you know when registration is open.

Finally, the long awaited Margin Boost program is finally here, but I don't have the registration page up yet. If you are interested in a breakthrough course on how to successfully increase your margins with both new and existing clients, your wait is almost over. This course will start October 11th, at 1 pm PT, and will run for seven weeks, 90 minutes each week. Each session is recorded with the same equipment used by Public Broadcasting and will be posted to a private web site, along with all of the slides to support long-term learning.

If you can't raise your margins at least 10 percent in the six months after this course, I insist on giving you your money back. If interested, just send me an email with MARGIN BOOST in the subject line, and I will send you the announcement when registration is open. Warning: I am accepting only 20 people for the first class. First come, first served.

Most of my individual coaching clients in Margin Boost have doubled their margins within six months. Your mileage may vary.

I hope you are finding this to be helpful. My mission is to give you information that is fresh, new, and that helps you make more while working less.

Thanks so much for reading,

Cheers,

Eric

503-635-2319

eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

PS: Next week, I will cover the Monkey Paw and its role in the Magic 7. This edition of the 'Success Tips' e-Newsletter will mean big money in the bank for many who are struggling today with great products and services that are not selling like they should be.

PPS: After many requests, I am going to begin to explore hitting the road again to give speeches and other public talks. If you have an upcoming event and have an interest, please send me an email: eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I don't have a speaker's kit together yet, so be patient with me.

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 24, 2007

eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

(503) 635-2319

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