Design or Copy? Which Should Do your Heavy Sales Lifting?

You decide. . . A large contract for a new computerized system, the far-flung international operations, will be awarded today in Peoria, Illinois Caterpillar, Inc., the construction equipment manufacturer. Tenders competition between the integrated computer software and hardware companies is fierce, and in progress. . . and for good reason. A record-breaking 850 million U.S. dollars are negotiable. Another $ 600 million in connection with service contracts are also on the table, just waiting to be grabbed. Below is what happened yesterday when the Wall Street Journal reports… â ????. . . Visit The Top-producing sales representative for Hewlett-Packard, the latest in a series of computer system sales staff at CAT headquarters, walks with a quick and firm step into the high, wood-paneled office of Cata? s chief financial officer. Seated around an oval, polished dark wood conference table, the CFO, and his two assistants, the IT department head, his two assistants and a host of lesser-known department heads. Any increases with a decline, and weary smile, and extends superficial handshake to the HP rep. The CAT execs are pressed for time, and Theyâ? D as the meeting ended, even before it begins. For those harried MBAA? S and engineers the entire three months of purchase process has is a painful exercise in perseverance, endurance and patience. Theyâ? Ve listened to sales representatives for sales staff endless superlatives, guarantees, and performance statistics, which spew clearly the limits of credibility. Nevertheless Theyâ? Again looking forward to choose a system â? if for no other reason than finally move to other more pressing matters. The HP rep understands, s hea? His research work carried out. Hea? S the BIOA read?? S of all heads of department and hea? S very familiar with cata? S shopping records and decision-making culture. He also knows that when the business of ink?? hea? ll earn a princely six-figure commission. He opens his briefcase and solemnly removed a stack of 8a? X10A? Photos, and without a word she heads around the table. A photo shows a smiling work, elegantly dressed secretary at her computer terminal. Another reason is a seemingly simple image of a wireless keyboard and mouse. Another picture shows one hundred U.S. dollars bills stacked chest high on a desk. And yet another picture shows two men who hand over CATA? S Peoria headquarters. The pictures are on heavy oil, has glossy prints. Color, composition and orchestration of light and shade is artistic and dramatic. These are photographic masterpieces are undoubtedly very expensive to produce. The HP rep looks around the table, and then quietly closed his briefcase. â?? Gentlemen, I have nothing to say. . . â?? â?? SAY WHAT? Yes, exactly, nothing to say â?? pass out pictures instead. Incredibly, that was the HP repaired?? S entire sales presentation. Wait a minute, you say. No seller would ever do, so obviously stupid. Want to bet? Most companies do exactly that â?? every day. For some reason â?? significantly Madison Avenue type reason â?? Most companies believe that sales to attain what they need to do is literally a? â truest sense of the word?? present a pretty picture. For their corporate website Theyâ? Ll rent you create a web design company to dramatic MTV-quality multi-media Flash presentations, which are very cleverly sold. . . what else, the web design company. Or Theyâ? Ll load their web pages with graphics and fonts that dazzle and overwhelm, if not permanently blind eye â?? Believe that a? Eye candyâ? alone motivate visitors to the â?? Submit Orderâ? Key (if it can find only). Or Theyâ? Ll hire an advertising agency to a full-page ad, a design?? then organize an expedition to the summit of the mountain. Photographed on Everest, a smiling Sherpa with their clientâ? S toilet cleaner (while the CompanyA? S contact information at the bottom of the hill) to be buried in the snow. Or Theyâ? Ll Commission a 60-second TV ad of a digitally created woman runs through a digitally created field of flowers with digital kids and dogs in tow created â?? believe this will be asked the audience to carry out her cell phone to an auto insurance quote a request? If no telephone number is provided (after all, why ruin the effect.) Sure, many people (though not necessarily the people who targeted) is bubbling as imaginative, entertaining, funny and creative the ads, websites and TV commercials are â?? and, ironically Theyâ? ll win numerous prestigious awards. But the companies that these expensive mishaps commissioned. . . is quietly and quickly go bankrupt, because. . . Pretty ads, TV commercials and web pages is NOT to generate sales! You see, for most companies, marketing and advertising is decoration, ego-enlargement â?? The pounding of the boxes and the hollow tubes of the performance. Copy, as in a? Words ????, Sella is a gross interference of these suppliers and consumers in the Madison Avenue-style advertising viewed. ITA?? S Low-brow â?? embarrassing that diminishes and cheapens one CompanyA? s overall â?? Image and effecta ????. And yet, if some bonehead ad exec writes a title or a song thatâ? S decipher catchy, cute, and also rhymes â?? itâ? ll be quickly CompanyA? s new slogan, even though itâ? ll be roundly ignored by the public, itâ? s determined to win. Why? Because it is not safe? T talk to their immediate needs and desires; suggests no sympathy for their situation, implies no benefits, and requires no action can be taken. Sure, this is a picture worth a thousand words. . . But not if youâ? Again, try to attract buyers and make the sale. Dona? T believe me? Â Then do what my imaginary HP rep (yes, Virginia, I made the whole HP rep, CAT, Wall Street Journal). Mail a picture of your product to your customers?? Without any copy it. Then, E â-mail sales letter?? without images or graphics on the â?? to the same customers demand that they make a purchase. Then tell me what the mailing receive more orders. Am I saying that all images, graphics, flash and dazzle of your marketing materials? No, absolutely not. Nevertheless. . . Many web designers and graphic artists will be outraged Because of her work as a professional, unique and artistic as they will prove, should not show the stars of your marketing and sales activities. â?? Designa ????, and everything it means to be subservient to â?? as in supporting â?? Your sales copy, not vice versa. The only purpose of the draft is to sell the copy of â?? whether in a website, print ad, brochure, or e-mail. It is there simply direct the reader? S Copy eye on the transactions. When design or overwhelmed or marginalized in any case distracts the readers of your copy of â?? Their sales are suffering. For â can sell just words?? Words can only convince â?? Words can only ask for the order. So, instead of) on the artificial artifice (too lenient design, â to create a picture of you, your company, product or service? draw a picture of your product or service with words. Talk to your customers. Capture your Customerâ? S patronage and loyalty with sincere, passionate, and actionable words. Tell them why they should buy! Design your marketing message with the design, and design your marketing message with words. Youâ? Ll stay in business much longer, and a lot more money than their competitors? Whoa?? ve been seduced and led seduced by the dazzling dark side of design. Until next time. .