I live in a very small town. We’re talking 400 residents small. It’s knowing-everyone-else-in-the-grocery-store-at-10-on-a-weekday-morning small. I love living in a place like this, but sometimes it strikes me how someone from a big metropolis would find some of our ways very funny.

For instance, business isn’t conducted in a small town the same way it is in a big city. Where I live, many businesses are basically invisible. They don’t have websites; their proprietors will likely argue until they retire that they don’t need to be on the Internet.

I’m not poking fun here: my story has a point. (I’m getting to it.)

Last month, we were having issues with our heating system. There was heat in some parts of the house, but not in others. My husband farted around with it himself for a couple of weeks before he finally broke down and decided to call in a heating expert—a suggestion I’d been making for some time, might I add(But I digress).

There’s a van that drives by our house all the time with the name of the business and a phone number written on its side. I will not share the name to protect the innocent, but I will say that I had a hunch the guy could help us because the word “heating” was in the business name.

So, we made up our minds to call that person as we’re new to the area and my father told me he’d called him before to clean his furnace and he was a good honest guy.

My husband started looking through the phone book and there was no listing for the business. He checked the Yellow Pages under Heating and Furnaces. Nothing. We figured he was probably listed under his own name and not his business name —something that doesn’t help at all when you don’t know the person’s first name.

So I conducted a Google search for the business name. Nothing. I even went so far as to check the provincial government’s business directory (which is an unsearchable beast itself but that’s a story for another day) to no avail.

The business we needed to call did not appear to exist. It was invisible.

Of course, then I did what anyone else would do. I called my father to see if he knew this guy’s name.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi Dad, do you know how I could get in touch with the “business name” guy?

Dad: Well, you could check the phone book.

Me: Thanks Dad. I tried that already. There’s nothing under the business name and I don’t know the name of the guy.

Dad: What’s wrong with your furnace?

Me: I don’t know, that’s why we need this guy. Do you know his name?

Dad: I think it’s Joe but I’m not sure. (Sounds of Dad flipping through phone book.)

Me: So you think it’s Joe?

Dad: It’s not in the book.

Me: I know.

Dad: Well, just call Henry.

Me: Who’s Henry?

Dad: Joe’s brother. You know, his wife is so-and-so who works at the such-and-such.

Me: Um. Okay. So, do you know Henry and so-and-so’s number?

Dad: Here, I’ll call Henry myself. I’ll call you back.

And that’s how we got the number for the heating guy. We had our doubts about what kind of operation it might be, but literally, within ten minutes of my husband calling, they were here in the basement fixing us up.

The service was great and they knew what they were doing. At least with furnaces.

Now as far as marketing goes . . . the biggest sin a good business could commit has been committed. It is impossible to locate this business the moment you need the services it provides, unless you already knew the man you needed to call.

If you need the services of a plumber or a locksmith or a furnace repairman, you’re going to search the Yellow Pages or you’re going to head to Google. You’re not searching for a business name in most cases (however in this case I knew the business I wanted and I still couldn’t find it): you’re searching for the service you need.

This business owner needs a website. It’s fine and good to have your phone number on your van, but unless my heating system goes tits up the same exact minute your van is driving by my window and I have time to notice and jot down the number, it’s not helpful at all. I don’t impulsively think, “oh hey, I should write down that number in case I ever need that guy’s help.”

Anyway, thankfully my father knew the guy’s brother and we got ourselves straightened out. And that’s probably the way a lot of these business owners think. They’ve been around long enough that people will know how to get in touch with them when they need them. And in all fairness, now that I think about it, in my case it actually worked.

This story reminds me of back when my husband and I were in our first apartment together. We asked our elderly landlady what our mailing address would be. She said, “Oh just put York on it and it will get to you.”

That’s the way it works in small towns and you might laugh but she was probably right.

Disclaimer: If you’re local and know the business I’m talking about, please know that we were very happy with the service we got. I’m not trying to be mean. I just happen to think in blog posts.

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When’s the last time you answered a knock on the door only to find a vacuum cleaner salesman? If you asked me yesterday, I would have said sometime in the late 80s when a clean-cut college kid was trying to sell a fancy Electrolux to my mom.

Now if you were to ask me today when the last time I was visited by a vacuum cleaner salesman, I would have to say…oh…sometime before lunch.

It’s true. There was a vacuum pusher (pun intended) prowling around my sleepy little village this morning knocking on doors with a stack of business cards four inches high in his fist.

There are a lot of reasons why door-to-door sales people are extinct. For starters, nobody’s at home during the day anymore (and if we are, we’re VERY busy meeting deadlines, preparing meals and keeping children alive). Then there’s the concern of opening the door to a stranger (always something to be cautious of, boys and girls) and the fact that most of the civilized world has access to the Internet for their purchasing needs or a vehicle to take them to a store to buy what they want.

In the case of the vacuum salesman…well…I don’t have carpet. That’s exactly what I told this man, “I don’t have carpet.”

Then he said, “What do you have, hardwood?”

“Yes.”

“Well you still should be vacuuming them.”

Me: Blank stare of disbelief.

Him: “When you use your Swiffer, you get dust in between the boards and your floors are likely starting to buckle.”

Me: Blank stare of disbelief. I don’t, in fact, use a Swiffer. I have one of those new-fangled contraptions called a broom.

Him: “Do you have any allergies or air quality concerns?”

Me: Still staring blankly, “Um…”

Him: “Because we do air testing and things like that now.”

Me: “Um…I think we’re good.”

Him: “Okay. Just vacuum your floors, it doesn’t have to be one of our models,” he says as he hands me his card and walks away.

I close the door and think about how long a day this guy has ahead of him if this is his bread and butter. If you’re going to try to sell me a vacuum, at least put on a suit.

This scenario presents the perfect opportunity for me to discuss the importance of relationship marketing.

Consumers are busy these days. We’re busy and we’re cautious of where our money goes and we’re smart. We’re really smart. We have tools (Internet) that allow us to compare products before we ever leave the house to buy something…if we do have to leave the house rather than just order something right there from our sofa.

If you want to try selling me something I don’t need, you have to convince me why I’m wrong (that I do need it) and you need to gain my trust because, you know, there are only so many dollars to go around.

This is why Facebook is so important. If this vacuum cleaner guy has a Facebook account he should have his own Facebook page that he could use to educate his friends and potential customers about his products. See, if I’d heard of him before I probably would have at least felt like listening to him or inviting him in.

He could have fun contests and trivia. He could post information about why older models don’t work…about why Swiffers are harming hardwood floors. (See, if you lead by telling me I’m making a mistake that’s harming one of my home’s biggest assets I might listen.)

With a Facebook page you’re building relationships and you’re educating the market…if you use it the right way.

That tidbit he told me about the Swiffer could have made a great blog post. Blogs are a great way to build relationships with your customers. (If I came across that info on my own, I likely would have run out and bought some sort of vacuum cleaner.) A door-to-door salesman just seems so pushy.

This guy should be on Twitter, posting information about air quality issues and how a good vacuum can help.

The thing is…I feel one of the big reasons why the door-to-door thing is dead is because nobody wants to be sold to. If I want a vacuum, I’ll find someone who’s selling them.

This brings us to SEO and search marketing. A nice, sharp website targeting those in need of a vacuum will be way more successful than having some joe schmoe wandering around from town to town getting doors slammed in his face.

I could go on forever but I won’t. I have things to do (remember, interrupted by a salesman earlier).

How about you? Do you have some tips on how to sell a vacuum in 2010? What do you think about my advice?

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(If you’re reading this post from your inbox, you’ll get more out of it by clicking here to view photos!)

My 4 year old daughter came home from preschool last week with a picture of a penguin that she had drawn.

I still can’t see a penguin in that picture no matter how many different ways I look at it.

The thing is, my daughter is very talented when it comes to drawing. At the age of four, she’s actually better to draw than I am, so I knew there was something going on when I saw that picture.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not crazy parents putting pressure on the child to be the best artist in her class, but this was obviously not my daughter’s style.

I was looking at it and going, “Look, Daddy, Casey drew this beautiful penguin at school today.”

Then Casey said, “I copied off of Jane.” (I’ve changed the name to protect the innocent.)

Aaaaaahhhh. That made sense.

I told Casey I would rather see a penguin that she drew by herself without copying off of anyone.

She quickly churned out this photo:

See the difference?

I had to try to explain to my daughter that she could do a better job if she did her drawings on her own, without copying off of anyone else. As I was explaining this to her, I realized that lots of adults still don’t get this.

If you’re marketing your business in the way that everyone else in your industry markets their businesses, just because you think that’s how you should be promoting yourself, did you ever stop and think you’re basically being a copycat?

There’s an excellent chance that if you’re trying to be someone you’re not, you’re stifling something great inside by doing so. Like my daughter’s own penguin drawing.

Market with your own personality. Be authentic. Be yourself. Make your own unique, individual mark on the world and be proud of it.

You’ll attract better clients, you’ll do better work and you’ll have a happier existence.

It’s true what they say, you know, you learned everything you needed to know about life before you finished kindergarten. Think about it. Would your teacher let you get away with copying off your neighbor?

Didn’t think so.

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Last week I got a postcard in the mail. I love junk mail because I’m a copywriter and I love to dissect direct mail pieces and think about what I would have done differently if I were the writer or a member of the creative team.

I save the best and worst pieces of junk mail I get in a special folder in my filing cabinet.

The postcard I got last week was shocking. I’ve blacked out the name of the company because I don’t really think I need to go there, but I will say it’s a company that’s been steadily going in the toilet from what I’ve seen and experienced over the past ten or so years of dealing with them. I will quite often go out of my way not to deal with this company these days because the customer service is horrible, the prices are much higher than their competitors and they charge a special fee when you pay cash instead of charging your purchases to an account…but I digress.

Maybe you received this same postcard in your mailbox and didn’t pay attention to it. This is the front:

Let’s examine the message.

First of all…I feel a bit cozy because I always like hearing that I’m a valued customer. This company wants to help me start my year off right by offering me 10% off my next purchase of $100 or more. Wow! (Strong headline – very important)

Notice that big huge 10% off? Kinda stands out. And 10% off of $100 or more…I’m going to save at least $10 on something that will help me start my year off right. How great! (Draw attention to the discount, grab the reader’s attention – very good)

Now I better hurry because as you can see at the bottom of the message, the offer is going to be ending soon. At the end of the month. (Creating urgency, adding a call to action – terrific)

So I flip over the card to find out more and here’s what we see:

Pretty self explanatory. In a big blue box we see that we have a Bonus Offer Number to use when we place our next order of $100 or more so we can save 10%. Great! (Telling me exactly what to do – perfect)

But wait. Look at that huge paragraph of small print.

Let’s take a closer look:

Okay. There are some exclusions to this “any purchase over $100″ and it looks like as a valued customer, I’ve received a 10% coupon that I can only use when I buy more than $100 worth of bedding, clothing, shoes or a small kitchen appliance from this major department store. Oh wait. Maybe not, because apparently if it’s a “shop by phone” item that doesn’t qualify either.

My question as a consumer is:

Why did they bother to send me something with so many conditions? If this multi-million dollar company really values me, why do they have to make me work hard to figure out which items apply for this discount?

If I’m so valued, wouldn’t this company (which is a pain to deal with) try to lighten up and give me 10% off any order of $100 or more without such a huge list of exclusions?

My question as a copywriter is:

Why on earth did this postcard ever get to the printing and mailing stage? If there were so many conditions, wouldn’t it have been a smarter “marketing” move to let people find all that out after they already got to the website and picked the things they wanted and had made a decision to buy them before realizing they didn’t apply with their coupon? Cause then although they would have been pissed off, they still may have gone through with their purchase even though they didn’t qualify for the 10% off because they’d already decided they needed and wanted those items.

I don’t know. If you’re going to call such attention to the fact that your customers are only valued enough to get a 10% discount on a $100+ purchase on small ticket items like bedding and clothing then why bother with that postcard at all?

I can’t imagine who thought this was a good idea. If that were my postcard and I was being told by corporate to promote a sale on small kitchen appliances, bedding and apparel (which appears to be what applies in this promotion) I would have made it a big deal that with this coupon code you save 10% when you buy more than $100 worth of apparel, home decor and small appliances and played that up.

Then it would be a sale based on a positive – Look at what you can save on!

Instead of the current negative – Look at what we don’t want to give you a discount on!

But what do I know? I’m just a freelance copywriter working from a little home office.

I wonder how many other people saw that postcard and had the same reaction as me. A big belly laugh and a trip to the recycling bin. Well, in my case, it’s going in my swipe file, but if I was not a writing geek it would be in a blue bag.

What do you think?

Do you think getting 10% off, even with so many conditions, is a great way to start your year off right as they state on the postcard? Was it a good marketing move? A smart promotion?

Or are you with me when I say that I feel about as much like a valued customer as I do when they charge me $2 to pay cash?

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There’s a group in my area for caregivers of children aged 0-5 that meets once a week. It’s called “Baby Steps” and last night the discussion was around separation anxiety.

Through our chatting, we struck on a very interesting point. Separation anxiety happens to parents just as much or more than to children. I, for example, started my business to allow me to be at home with my children, and it took my little girl’s own prompting to make me register her for preschool (today was her first day). I had big-time separation anxiety and had to get out of my comfort zone to do what will certainly be best for my daughter.

I only have to think back to the day I moved away from home to know that my mother experienced some major separation anxiety when her eldest child was leaving the nest.

Separation anxiety is basically what happens when you’re forced out of your comfort zone.

I learned last night that separation anxiety is most common with babies aged 10-18 months when they gain the ability to recognize people. They know when someone holding them is not their mother, and most children that age make their anxiety known. But I don’t feel like that anxiety ever really goes away. It just changes depending on our situation in life.

I was thinking about comfort zones when I was brainstorming topics for this blog post, and I thought about my friend Sally Kuhlman’s newest endeavor. Sally has been a virtual assistant for years, that’s how I know her, but she recently launched a new blog “Sally Around the Bay” where she blogs about her adventures around San Francisco Bay. She says that one of the reasons she decided to do this was to force her outside of her comfort zone to try new things.

I think all entrepreneurs can take a cue from Sally.

When’s the last time you separated yourself from yourself? What’s keeping you in your comfort zone? What will it take to force yourself out of it?

Are you afraid to start a blog because you’re afraid of how your thoughts will be viewed by the world? Do it anyway. You know, in this day and age you can hire someone to write your blog posts

Have you been meaning to launch an info product but keep getting in your own way?

Is there a brilliant tele-seminar sitting in your brain waiting for you to get the guts to go ahead and do it?

I was terrified before I first spoke to a group about writing better copy. The first time I got a booth for my business at a trade event I was scared. When I released my second ebook I was no less nervous than I was with my first one. It’s hard to put yourself out there, but you just have to go for it if you want to grow your business and if you want to grow as a person.

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a writer and to me, having someone value my work enough to publish me is the ultimate marker of my success. I’ve gone way outside of my comfort zone and have started pitching magazines on article ideas. Guess what? An editor has responded to me. They loved my query and it looks like I will be published in a magazine this fall.

Sometimes you’re not getting what you want most because you simply aren’t stepping outside your comfort zone and asking for it.

What would you do if you stopped listening to that voice in your head telling you you’re not good enough, or that everyone will laugh at you?

What if the only thing stopping you from being a brilliant success is you?

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