That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am!



I do not like that Sam-I-am!

I was sitting down with my son last night to read Green Eggs and Ham. You know, of Dr. Seuss fame...

I'm sure you read it when you were a kid. Anyway, I couldn't help but smile as I gleaned words of marketing wisdom that I found hidden in between the lines. Isn't it funny where ideas strike you sometimes?

So here are some of the lessons that Dr. Seuss has to offer about marketing your business.

Lesson 1) Sam Was Selling Green Eggs and Ham

Do you like green eggs and ham?

I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham.

Do you sell something unique or different that your customers aren't familiar with? In the story, the big fellow is running away from Sam who is pushing green eggs and ham. He flat out says he has never tried it.

I don't blame him. Take one look at the plate of green eggs and ham and it doesn't look very appealing.

Customers are often afraid to try something new. Sometimes they don't understand your product. Other times they have preconceived notions about it. Perhaps if Sam had taken time to share more product information with the fellow, then he would be more apt to try those green eggs and ham.

For instance Sam could interest his customer more if he:

- shared the customer focused benefits of green eggs and ham

- shown testimonials from customers who sing the praises of it

- offered a free report so he could learn more about it

- offered a free teleclass with recipes for using green eggs and ham

Lesson 2) Sam Wasn't Focused on the Customer's Needs

I am Sam, - Sam I Am.

That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!

It seems that Sam has created a bad impression with his customer.

The only thing on Sam's mind is selling his product. Had Sam been more focused on caring about his customer, discovering their needs, and creating a relationship, he might have had better results. Remember, to get inside the customer's head by asking "What's in it for Me?"

Lesson 3) Multiple Marketing Exposures Pay Off.

Sam is an aggressive little salesman isn't he? In fact, he is SO aggressive that he tries to reach his customer in a boat, with a goat, in the rain, in the dark, on a train, in a car, in a tree, in a box, with a fox, in a house and with a mouse. And in the end, those friendly marketing exposures worked. The customer "got" the message and finally tried green eggs and ham!

Quite often we send one announcement about a product in an email or newsletter and are dumbfounded at why we didn't get a better response rate. The truth is, that it takes repeated, consistent marketing communications to achieve maximum sales effectiveness.

A marketing message must reach a prospect 9 times. However, because of SPAM and the sheer flooding of marketing messages, people only HEAR your message 1 out of every 3 times they are exposed to it. That's why Guerrilla marketer, Jay Conrad Levinson says that these days it takes a full 27 exposures to ensure the full capacity of your sales campaign.

Lesson 4) Sam's Customer Now LOVES Green Eggs and Ham!

Say! I like green eggs and ham!

I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!

I do so like green eggs and ham!

Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-am!

In the end, all that work of romancing Sam's customer worked. After taking one bite, the customer is singing the praises of green eggs and ham. So how can we use testimonials in your business?

- Ask your customers for feedback on how satisfied they were after purchase

- Provide a feedback form on your web site

- Create a customer forum where people can share their experiences with your product

- Add testimonials from satisfied customers to your web site and sales letters