The Golden Thread – The Week in Review
January 15–21, 2006

Welcome to The Golden Thread Online, your free e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every Saturday, you will receive this recap of all the strategies, insights and opportunities we send to you and your fellow AWAIers each week. Whether it’s a message from a fellow writer about how he landed a new client … a technique from a Master copywriter for writing a control … an insight into how to succeed in a new market … news of a brand new writing job or business opportunity for you … you’ll find it here in this easy-to-access and always available “Week in Review.”

In This Issue:

• 7 Key Differences Between B-To-B and Consumer Marketing
  Bob Bly offers tips on writing for the B2B market.
• Quick Tip: When to Use Features to Sell Your Product
  Sometimes you need to use features in your direct marketing package.
• From The Golden Thread Mailbag … Finding Your Niche
  Scott Rempe talks about finding your niche.

7 Key Differences Between B-To-B and Consumer Marketing By Bob Bly, AWAI Board Member

When asked if he could write an effective direct-mail package on a complex electronic control system, a well-known copywriter replied, “No problem. It doesn’t matter what the product is. You’re selling to people. And people are pretty much the same.”

Wrong!

There are seven key factors that set business-to-Business (B-to-B) marketing apart from consumer marketing:

1. THE BUSINESS BUYER WANTS TO BUY.

   Most consumer advertising offers products that people might enjoy but don’t really need. If we subscribe to a magazine, we do so for pleasure – not because the information is essential to our day-to-day lives.

   In B-to-B, the situation is different. Business buyers need to buy. All business enterprises must routinely buy products and services that help them stay profitable, competitive, and successful.

2. THE BUSINESS BUYER IS SOPHISTICATED.

   Your typical business reader is sophisticated and has a high interest in – and understanding of – your product.

   The prospect usually knows more about the product than you do. It’s folly to believe a few days spent reading about mainframe computers will educate you to the level of your prospect – a systems analyst with six years of experience.

   The sophistication of the reader requires you to do a tremendous amount of research into the market, the product, and its use. The business audience does not respond well to slogans, hype, or oversimplification.

3. THE BUSINESS BUYER WILL READ LONG COPY.

   The business buyer is an information-seeker, on the lookout for information and advice that will help him do his job better, increase profits, or advance his career.

   “Our prospects are turned off by colorful, advertising-type sales brochures,” says the marketing manager of a company selling complex software products. “They’re hungry for information and respond better to letters and bulletins that explain, in fairly technical terms, what our product is and how it solves a particular problem.”

   Don’t be afraid to write long copy. Prospects will read your message – if it’s interesting, important, and relevant to their needs.

   Don’t hesitate to use informational pieces as response hooks for ads and mailers. The offer of a free booklet, report, or technical guide pulls well – despite the glut of reading matter clogging the prospect’s in-basket.

4. BUYING IS A MULTI-STEP PROCESS IN B-to-B.

   In consumer direct response, copywriters are geared toward producing the “package” – an elaborate mailing that does the bulk of the selling job.

   But in B-to-B direct marketing, the concept of a package or control is non-existent. The purchase of most business products is a multi-step process. A VP of manufacturing doesn’t order a $35,000 machine by mail. First, he requests a brochure. Then, a sales meeting. Then, a demonstration. Then, a 30-day trial. Then, a proposal or contract.

   Thus, a single piece of copy does not win the contract. Rather, it takes a series of letters, brochures, presentations, ads, and mailers – combined with the efforts of salespeople – to turn a cold lead into a paying customer.

5. B-to-B HAS MULTIPLE BUYING INFLUENCES.

   You don’t usually consult with a team of experts when you want to buy a pair of shoes. In most consumer sales, individuals make the purchase decision. But a business purchase usually has many players involved.

   For this reason, a business purchase is rarely an “impulse” buy. Many people influence the decision – including the purchasing agent, company president, technical professionals, and end-users.

   Each of these audiences has different concerns and criteria by which they judge your product. To be successful, your copy must address the needs of all parties involved with the decision.

6. BUSINESS PRODUCTS ARE MORE COMPLEX.

   B-to-B copy cannot be superficial. Clarity is essential. You cannot sell by “fooling” the prospect or hiding the identity of your product. Half the battle is educating your prospect, quickly and simply, about what your product is, what it does, and why he should be interested in it.

7. THE BUSINESS BUYER BUYS FOR HIS COMPANY’S BENEFIT … AND HIS OWN.

   There are two parts to this principle. Let’s take one at a time.

   1. The Business Buyer Buys for His Company’s Benefit.

      The business buyer acquires products and services that benefit his company. The product or service should save the company time or money, make money, improve productivity, increase efficiency, or solve problems.

      Let’s say you sell a telecommunications network and your advantage over the competition is that your system reduces monthly operating expenses 50 percent. If a prospect spends $40,000 a month for your competitor’s network, you can save his company $20,000 a month.

      That’s $240,000 a year … or more than $1 million in a five-year period.

      Yet, despite this tremendous benefit, prospects aren’t buying. They seem interested, but few sales are closed.

      Why? Because in addition to buying for his company’s benefit, the prospect also buys for himself.

   2. The Business Buyer Buys for His Own Benefit.

      While the buyer is looking to do right by his company, he has an equal (if not greater) concern for his own well-being.

      Although the idea of saving $240,000 a year with your telecommunications system is appealing, your prospect’s thought process is as follows:

      “Right now, I have an AT&T system. Your system sounds good, but I don’t know your company. If I switch and something goes wrong, I’ll be blamed … maybe even fired. I’d rather see them spend an extra $240,000 a year than lose my $90,000-a-year job!”

      This play-it-safe mentality is natural, and it affects buying decisions daily in corporations throughout the country. Data processing professionals are fond of saying, “Nobody ever got fired buying IBM.” Buying IBM ensures the prospect that no one can criticize his decision, even if Brand X is the better choice from a business and technical perspective.

      There are many reasons the business buyer is for himself first, but we don’t have room to go into them here. However, understanding his motivations – and the differences between business-to-Business and consumer marketing – will make you a far more successful B-to-B copywriter.

Quick Tip: When to Use Features to Sell Your Product

When selling to the B-to-B market, people doing the buying understand the benefits your product’s features bring with them. For this reason, they look first at its features.

Example: An IT professional knows a 3.3 Gigahertz processor gets the work done faster than a 2.1 Gigahertz one. And he knows what that advantage means to his company.

So you would sell your 3.3 Gigahertz processor to this audience by accentuating this feature.

From The Golden Thread Mailbag … Finding Your Niche By Scott Rempe

Hi Scott,

I love the The Golden Thread Mailbag. I usually read it first. My question is, how do I figure out my niche? I’m having trouble getting a fix on it. I’ve had a wide employment history and am interested in the alternative health market, catalogs, and the amusement industry. I don’t have much of a portfolio yet outside, of the AWAI assignments and a postcard promo I did for a bio-supplement company.

Elizabeth R.

Hello Elizabeth,

You should start out writing for products, or an area of products, that you are passionate about. It is hard for a copywriter, particularly a new one, to write about something you are ambiguous about. Sounds like you have three good choices to start with.

And, as a faithful reader, you know we recommend spec assignments as one of the best ways to get yourself in the game. This strategy works because it doesn’t cost the client anything to give you a shot. You can write your own samples, too. Tell potential clients that though they are not actual assignments, they are representative of what you can do.

Dear Scott,

Long story short – I need your help. I need to get a reactivation piece written soon! I’ve searched around, but the only information I can find was in the 3/28/05 issue of The Golden Thread – “7 Key Principles for Writing Riveting Reactivation Letters.” I desperately need an example and anything else you think might be of use.

Grace S.

Hello Grace,

Remember, the people you are writing to already know the value of your product, so the reactivation letter will be shorter than a full promotion. You should restate the USP and the major benefit in your letter. And keep in mind that reactivations usually include a discounted offer.

And, as luck would have it, Katie just told me that Target Marketing is offering AWAI members a discount on their Who’s Mailing What Archives.

For over twenty years, the Who’s Mailing What Archive has been the leader in direct mail intelligence. Now online in a searchable database with direct mail package details and scanned images, The Who’s Mailing What! Archive lets you see the mailing packages other companies have mailed in order to learn from their tests and direct mail controls.

AWAI members can sign up for a year’s subscription at www.whosmailingwhat.com for $49.95 (a $20.00 savings). Enter Promotion Code A0106A at checkout to receive discount. Thumbnail scans are included in this price. Viewing and downloading full-size scans can be ordered online for a nominal fee.

Hi Scott!

Thanks for giving useful and practical tips for copywriters in every issue of The Golden Thread newsletter. I am busy updating my new website and applying the tips I have learned from the newsletter and the program.

Dan P.

Thanks Dan – and thanks to one and all. Keep those emails coming!

Scott