Advertising Representatives - Ad Reps - And Why You Should Avoid Them Like The Plague!

I cant tell you how many businesses Ive seen fall prey to these marketing parasites. Every year, like clockwork, they make the rounds trying to get you to buy expensive radio advertising or costly phone book ads. They say that you need all the bells and whistles to really get your message out and you end up paying them too much for too little. Maybe this has happened to you before, maybe it hasnt. Either way if youre an entrepreneur or in small-business you need to protect yourself from these money pits.

Most businesses dont realize that to be successful all they really need is to have a marketing plan. They need to know what to do, when to do it, and most importantly why they should do it. Without a solid marketing plan they waste thousands of dollars on unproductive ads, costly phone book covers, or easily identifiable junk mail. All of this because some sales representative happened to stop by with a deal.

Let me ask you a question: If that rep was so good at marketing, how come hes still going door to door cold-prospecting for someone else instead of using his expertise to market his own successful business!?

Well let me tell you what their deal is These reps thrive on selling pretty ads that will build your companies brand. Heck, if you are lucky you may win awards for how cute or ground-breaking they are. But, unless it comes with a cash prize, how does any award help your bottom line? Make no mistake: these guys dont have a clue how to get a customer thats not their job.

For example, take those super bowl ads that they run year after year. Consider the millions that are spent by dozens of companies every year for a 30 second spot. Sure they are fun and entertaining, always good for a laugh but when was the last time you jumped up and ran to the store to buy one of their products right then? We all know that never happens. You want marketing that gets your customer to jump up right now and buy your product before its too late! You want the type of marketing that gets direct results. Think about the last Super Bowl do you ever remember what products they were advertising?

The problem is that those ad guys get paid based on the amount of money they can get you to spend on their advertising. The more you spend the more he makes. Does that make sense? You see they dont get paid based on how much new business you get, they get paid based on how much money they get you to spend. Thats the complete opposite of how marketing should work! Their job isnt to make you money, its to make them money. They arent after your best interests, they are protecting their own.

Sound familiar? If you think about it, thats why those ad reps are always telling you to run the same ad time after time after time. If you ask them, theyll be quick to tell you that prospects need to see the same ad again and again before they will respond. And like many myths there is to a grain of truth in this. I hate to break it to you, but if your ads are losing money the first time the second time the third time you need to stop running them!

Running the ads over and over will build the name recognition for you, but you cant eat recognition you cant deposit it in the bank you need responses now! If you want to really succeed with your marketing you need to use only proven cost effective marketing that provides an accurate return on investment.

The next time one of those ad reps tries to sell you expensive and ineffective marketing you ask them these three easy questions:

What is my return on my investment and how can you track it? All too often companies will sell you advertising without bothering to track you return on investment. Dont let this happen! This is the only way you can know whether or not to continue running a given ad.

Does this ad clearly convey benefits that set me apart from your competition? The best copy (words in your ad) is benefit driven and gives your customers a clear reason to do business with you versus your competitors. The last thing you want to do is pay for an ad that looks just like everybody else. People buy because you can help them avoid a pain or loss.

Is there a clear call to action in your advertising? At the end, preferably more than once, there should be a clear call to action that asks your prospect to call, write, order, fax, or perform some other profitable action. Typically, most marketing will stop short of asking you to do something and will end on vague image-building statements.

Now, all that is left for you is to stick to these three questions next time an ad rep comes your way. Stop being an advertising victim. Dont spend a dime on any marketing unless they can answer Yes to all three of these questions. Keep that in mind and you will see your marketing become more successful than you ever thought possible.

Michael Black is a Direct Response Marketing Guru located in Colorado Springs, CO and Co-founder of Direct Results Marketing. Along with co-founder Jarrod Cash they have created comprehensive marketing kits, systems, and promotions for all kinds of businesses and services. If you want to make more money in less time then you need to be talking to us.

We work with entrepreneurs and companies to cut all the fat and waste out of their advertising and make their sales efforts at least 500% productive guaranteed. Find out how you can boost your profits at: http://www.DirectResultsOnline.com

Why Businesses Need a Marketing Plan
So youve just opened a florist shop with the best variety of the freshest flowers in town. You spared no expense on the location, building, signage, and interior decorating. The Grand Opening banner is proudly draped over the massive, hand-carved, double-door entryway and you beam with pride at the result of years of hard work and struggle. So now ...

Make the Most of Advertising Balloons
It takes creativity to make attractive and effective method of advertising. Depending on what you want to get endorsed for popularity through advertisement, it is interesting to keep in mind about using balloons to advertise your product.Advertising balloons are specialized by some companies to provide interesting visual advertising for suitable br...

Turn Your Company Into A 24 -7 Lead Generation Machine
Install a Simple Lead Generation System and Get More Qualified Leads Than You Ever Imagined PossibleI see all kinds of lead generation systems. Many sales reps solely rely on leads from their principals or from their marketing department. Others have lead generations systems in place that are made up of sending a catalog to prospects and customers ...

Starting Your Own Direct Sales Business
In a lot of ways starting your own direct sales business is like starting your own retail business. The only major difference is that in a direct sales business, you have consultants to deal with.As this may be a good thing, it can also turn ugly. Picky consultants can cause a lot of problems. And yes, Im speaking from experience.Here are some h...

Email Advertising Ideas
Email advertising has become very common these days. With the increasing use of the Internet by all types of people, marketers are realizing the advantages of capturing peoples attention through their inboxes. Email advertising is cheap, fast and very efficient. It is also found to have a faster response rate than traditional mail order advertising...

What is an Advertising Blimp Balloon
Most are familiar with hot air balloons but how many people know what a blimp is? A blimp is the fancy term for a balloon that is used in advertising campaigns. Still dont know what it is?When you watch big sports events like the National Football League (NFL) Superbowl, do you see those big things floating in the air with the sponsors logo across ...

Wholesale Advertising Specialties
The revolution in the advertising industry has necessitated a change in the traditional mode of advertising. Newspapers, radio, television, direct mailers, or even the Internet is no longer enough to meet the demands of the various advertising needs. In today's demanding times, the call is for a different kind of infusion that can pump up the adver...