Isn't Anybody Gonna Answer That?

How many times in a day, week, month . . . in your lifetime are
you busy - doing anything - and the phone rings?

Out of all those times the phone rings, how many times do you
stop what you're doing to answer it?

I'll bet it's a lot. 90%? 95%? I don't know for sure but I'm
guessing it's up there.

I know because I used to stop whatever I was doing to answer it.
Didn't matter what I was doing, I would just stop - and answer
the phone.

Until one day something dawned on me:

I don't HAVE to answer it! It's not required. I can let it ring
and let my answering machine get it. After all, that's what it's
designed to do.

It used to annoy the heck out of my wife when the phone would
ring - right next to me - and I would ignore it (inasmuch as you
can ignore a ringing phone). She would rush for the phone saying
"Geez . . . aren't you gonna answer that?". And I'd ask "Why?"

And for a long time I wondered why people stop whatever they're
doing and answer their phone.

The answer is simple - because we're conditioned to, that's why.
Sure, you could argue - Because it could be important; What if
it's my broker with a hot tip; What if it's an emergency.

The bottom line is, though, it's all conditioning. Just look
around you on any given day in any given location. People can't
even leave home without a telephone!

Conditioning.

I would love to be able to get my readers to just stop
whatever they were doing when my newsletter hits their mailbox
and read it from start to finish. Better still, to purchase
products I recommend. Wouldn't that be great?

Well, we may never be able to achieve that level of conditioning,
but there are some things you can do to help stop the conditioned
response of just deleting your emails before they're read.

First and foremost, you must build and earn their trust. People
are by and large conditioned to "shoot first - ask questions
later". At least until they get to know and trust you. Building
trust takes work and honesty, so keep at it.

Next, create a distinctive image - brand yourself. This can
be accomplished in so many ways: A catchy name, a unique product
or service, a creative writing style that people enjoy, a logo.
Whatever it is, it should make people remember you.

Repetition. Advertising to your market on a regular basis.
Writing articles and submitting them frequently so that not only
do new prospects get to know you but so that your regular readers
or customers don't forget you. It is imperative, though, to
know when enough turns to too much. The object is to get them
to read/buy/recommend your products or whatever your offerings
may be.

Create positive association in your prospects long term memory.
Remember, when a prospect is ready to purchase, their decision
is reached by the information retrieved from memory (even impulse
purchases at times are made by a positive association to that
product and retrieved from their long term memory at the time
of their purchase).

Here's an excercize - see if you can finish the following:

"I'd like to buy the world a . . . . . . . "
"Sometimes you feel like a nut; . . . . . . . . . . . "
"Plop plop fizz fizz, . . . . . . . . . . . . "

I'm willing to bet you remembered them just fine. Ask yourself
why. Effective advertising - sure. Repetition - you betcha.
Name recognition? You remembered them, didn't you? Now we're
conditioned to know exactly which product is referred to even
if only part of the jingles above are heard or read.

I'll bet even a few of you went to your fridge to get a Coke
after reading them . . . ;-)

So what does all of this have to do with a ringing telephone?
I don't know. But I know this . . . my wife has now been
reconditioned to only answer the phone when she WANTS to. Not
because it's ringing.

So get busy. Condition your market. Make a name for yourself.