At the recent Glazer-Kennedy SuperConference in Chicago over 1,200 entrepreneurs from around the world descended on the O’Hare Marriott to learn from the world’s highest paid marketing masters… Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer. We’ll be going through some of the many takeaways at our next Monthly Marketing Summit right here in San Diego. Visit www.RegisterSD.com if you would like to attend.

Here are three of my biggest takeaways – as you read these, pick ONE of them to implement for yourself in your business. Remember that when you take action, amazing things happen… You Get Results!

1. Newsletters are one of the best, if not THE BEST, form of marketing to keep your list warm.

Especially printed newsletters which I have been doing for nearly 2 years straight now without missing a month. Now what are some of the key elements of a newsletter? Well, the biggest one I was reminded of was making sure that you talk 60% about personal and non-relevant or semi-relevant content. If you’re an auto-repair shop, someone doesn’t want to read 2, 4 or even 6 pages about the latest news in auto-repair! That commits the biggest marketing sin… being boring. So, instead weave in some fun information about you, your life, your family, your kids, your pets, your travels, etc. That is what people will really bond with you about. I’m always amazed when I talk about my two girls (ages 7 and 8 now) how much response I get. Much more so than when I talk about a great marketing tactic or strategy.

So, get more personal and put yourself out there!

2. Michael Masterson spoke who has personally grown multiple 9 figure businesses.

That means that he has grown a business to greater than $100 million MULTIPLE times. That is a huge, huge accomplishment. And he spoke about the 4 stages of a business as it develops.

I especially liked his comments on Stage 1 which is 0 up to the first million in sales. He said simply that when you are under $1 million in sales its very simple where you should spend your time… 80% of your 60 hour workweek recommended by Michael should be spend on MARKETING your business. That is, figuring out how to get more customers in the door at a profit, as quickly as possible. Once you do this, every other business challenge gets a lot, lot easier.

So, commit to yourself if you are under $1 million in sales to put a full 80% of your time into marketing your business so you can get over that $1 million threshold as quickly as you can.

3. And the 3rd big takeaway was during Lenny Lieberman’s presentation.

He runs the Pro-Active line for Guthy-Renker and they do $1 billion in annual sales. During the question and answer portion of his presentation, he was asked several specific questions from the audience asking for “the answer” to specific marketing problems. He rarely gave a very clear answer because he said that… even at the size Guthy-Renker is… and with all of their resources… you just never know what is going to work and what isn’t going to work.

He showed a great video clip from one of their infomercials for a “How To Talk To Your Kids About Drugs” program which looked like it would be a huge success. It had an all-star cast, was professionally produced, and they thought they had a winner on their hands. Unfortunately, the show and the program was a complete bomb!

The answer to most marketing questions? Try it out, measure, and then see how well it worked. This also lends itself to trying lots of different things so you can get to the right answers much quicker.

See #2 above for where to spend most of your time, especially in the early stages of your business.
But, even a $1 billion a year company like Guthy-Renker is still in the marketing testing business.

Going to live event such as the SuperConference is also a great time to bond and connect with others from around the world and even in San Diego. We had 17 local business owners attend and the networking was amazing.

Below is a picture of my and Cathy Ireland – she was also fantastic as she has built a huge worldwide brand all from scratch. I especially liked how she prioritized her faith and her family before business. I think that’s a huge reason that she is so successful.

So many business owners and entrepreneurs confuse features vs. benefits.
It is a critical marketing concept so I’d like to give you a clear definition that will
always help you keep the two straight.
Let’s say that you are looking at a product to purchase… let’s say an automobile.

What are you looking for?
The color, horsepower, number of airbags, and stopping power of the brakes?
When you bought your last car, what did you look at?
See, everything above is a FEATURE of the car.

But, nobody actually buys FEATURES.

They buy BENEFITS

What is this new car going to do for me?

Will I feel more successful, more safe, more powerful, more fun loving?

Let’s look at each of those…

• Feel more successful – what do you think of? Mercedes Benz.
• Feel more safe – what do you think of? Volvo.
• Feel more powerful – what do you think of? Porsche.
• Feel more fun loving – what do you think of? Maybe a Mini Cooper or VW Bug.

So, what is a clear-cut definition of a feature vs. a benefit?

The feature would be 6 airbags in the car.
The benefit would be:
What this means to you is that you and your family are better protected
regardless of what type of accident you may find yourself in.

I like to say that a feature is about the product or service.

And a benefit is about what it does for YOU, the buyer.

The easiest way I’ve found to take a list of features and convert them into benefits is to add
those magic words on the end of every feature…

“What This Means To YOU Is…”

So, let’s say that you are looking to buy a silver car.
The feature would be – this car is painted in silver metallic paint with clear-coat on top.
What this means to you is… the car will retain its luster for years without needing regular waxing.

It is the most popular color car.
What this means to you is… you will not be pulled over by the police nearly as much as say a bright red car!
And, of course, what this silver car means to you is… the highest possible resale value
since most people favor silver cars over other color.
Oh, and in case you don’t like to wash your car – having a silver color car means that
you don’t have to wash it nearly as much and it will still look great.

Get the idea?

Having your “features” converted into “benefits” is a key, key component to any
successful marketing campaign so I highly recommend you take a look at your
product or service.

List off all of the features that you have.
Then, convert all of those into benefits by adding the magic words…

“What This Means To YOU Is…”

When you do that you’ll find people start connecting emotionally with your product
or service instead of just comparing features.

I wish you every success in your marketing adventures.

Henry Evans

Jim Rohn passed away earlier this month.

Having only recently discovered Jim’s teachings, I was struck by his delivery and sincerity in his words of wisdom.

The video below is a great way to make 2010 your best year yet.

My favorite quote in this video: “Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”

Thank you Jim Rohn and may God Bless You.

Enjoying a fabulous 2009 Glazer-Kennedy Info-Summit in Atlanta with 16 other folks from San Diego.

Sharing a conversation with Dan Kennedy, the world’s highest paid copywriter.

If you can’t be here, you can watch some of the videos of the “Marketer of the Year” competition by click the video tab HERE.

Henry Evans with the famous Dan Kennedy

Attended a wonderful internet marketing charity event over last weekend.

It was hosted by Brendon Burchard, Mike Koenigs (co-founder of Traffic Geyser) and his lovely wife Vivian.

ALL of the money from the event went to Vivian’s charity, the Just Like My Child Foundation.

If they do it again next year, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Here are just some of the presenters who attended: John Assaraf from The Secret, top copywriter John Carlton, Internet Superstars Eben Pagan and Russell Brunson, Paul Colligan, Len Foley, Bestselling author Jorge Cruise, Jim Kwit and Glazer-Kennedy Marketer of the Year James Malinchak!

You can read more and donate to this very worthy cause by visiting http://www.justlikemychild.com.