Could Customer Hoop-Jumping Be Robbing You Blind?

Customer Hoop-Jumping Experience #1: I recently wrote about a soon-to-be-open Anytime Fitness center that’s losing a golden opportunity to sell memberships during pre-launch – all without spending a penny on traditional marketing or advertising. I recommended that the gym leverage its prime location by posting a phone number or website address along its storefront. A small, [...]

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Beauty Isn’t the Message

A recent blog post by Seth Godin called, “Beauty as a signaling strategy” had this to say: “Human beings have adopted this signaling strategy with a vengeance. I know a woman who is going to spend more than $9,000 having her hair styled in 2009 (hey, that’s less than $200 a week). Entire industries are based [...]

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Elevating Trust With Signaling

Because trust understands a language that does not rely on words, your customer’s brain operates on autopilot; scanning the horizon for unbiased, non-verbal clues it can use to reduce uncertainty, avoid risk and the pain of loss. Which means, your customers are skillfully programmed to avoid buyer’s remorse. And many of the non-verbal clues they [...]

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The Stotting Gazelle – Practical Applications of Animal Signal Theory

Sensational copywriting brings sizzle, sparkle and shine to your advertising. The best marketers know this. Words cut with clarity. Words flutter the heart. Words awaken a slumbering imagination. But words without cost lack believability. And this lack of believability represents the dark side of our linguistic abilities. Speaking is a hallmark of human nature. No other species on [...]

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The Six Currencies That Buy Credibility

Little white lies never hurt a soul. Hmmm. Sounds like the justification of a charlatan, doesn’t it? In business, ad-speak is the kissing cousin of little white lies. Seemingly harmless. Swarming all around us. “We’ve got the lowest prices and best selection. Guaranteed.” “Service with a smile. Service you can count on.” “Trust us. We’ve got an [...]

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