- Guide to Email Protocol and Policies
- Guide to Cutting Costs with the Best Web Deals
- Guide to PCI DSS: the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Compliance
LW
Friday, December 15, 2006
More Guides from Lynn Walford
Please view my latest guides:
LW
LW
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
New Home for Lynn Walford's Writing
Lynn Walford is now writing guides for Work.com. She has written guides to Buying a Computer Monitor, Recycling and Disposing of Old Computer Equipment, and Protecting Your Computers & Electronic Equipment.
Please take a look at the useful articles.
Please take a look at the useful articles.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
How to Write Great Product Demonstrations or Training Scripts
People won’t buy your products or services if they can’t figure out how to use them. Therefore, it is imperative that you find ways to help your customers understand how to get the most of your products or services. Depending on your product or service, two valuable tools for promotions and sales are product demonstrations and training sessions.
Think of how many Ginsu knives, cookware sets, and mops have been sold, just because the audience members saw how to use the products. The reason why home shopping networks are so successful is because the hosts demonstrate the products and show their enthusiasm for them. People don’t like to admit what they don’t know, but if you show them without insulting them, they will buy and use your product or service.
The first thing to determine is, “Do you need actual training or a demonstration?” A demonstration shows the audience how to use a product, while a hands-on-training session, gives the consumer an opportunity to tryout the product or service. Training sessions are more appropriate for big ticket complicated items while simpler products only need demonstrations.
Next, decide the most important features of your product or service that you want to demonstrate. How does it improve lives and solve problems? Often your sales people will know what features sell the best. Or you may find the features that when shown, change customers’ objections to the product or service. For example, a broadband Internet service provider discovered that when their customers saw the value in high speed services, such as music downloading, photo sharing and chat, they were more likely to upgrade to high speed services.
Then you need to determine what style the demonstration will take. Will it be light or serious? How can you bring creative elements into the demonstration? What will best illustrate the emotional “wow” sensation of the product or service? What style best works for your demographic?
You also have to establish a framework of analogies to work from for your demographic. For years, I taught senior citizens how to use computers. No one wanted to teach them. The training was based on framework they understood. I had to explain how the typewriter evolved into word-processing. Then, explain how word-processing transformed into desktop publishing. I also gave a history of the personal computer and the Internet because this demographic was not following the development of computers at the time. When I wrote a script about HDTV, I needed to show the aspect ratio difference between HDTV and a standard TV, the HDTV wide screen was related to the wide screen in movie theatres and panoramic views.
Another helpful device to use within in your product demonstration or training is “Good Cop/Bad Cop,” one demonstrator is the “nay-sayer” who gets won over by the good guy. Remember that in all good teaching uses the “rule of three.” A student or viewer needs to see and hear a concept three times before it is learned and mastered. The teacher/demonstrator has to find ways to repeat the concept without being condescending or boring.
The demonstration/training will be more effective if it is entertaining. This is where you can have fun with the product or service. Techniques such as parody, dramatization, music, and viewing from the inside out will add depth to the presentation. I once had an editor tell me, “After you do all your research, the story writes itself.” This axiom is often true for demonstrations. After I figure out the objective, interview the sales and product manages, use the product or service, research the demographic and understand the true meaning of the service/product, I can hear the script come to life. The more questions I ask, the better the script becomes.
Product and service demonstrations/training are valuable tools to get and retain customers. They are very cost effective and bring your product or service to life enriching the lives of your customers. Human beings have for centuries learned by telling each other stories around the fire. Bring that fire to your customers and you’ll experience blazing sales.
Think of how many Ginsu knives, cookware sets, and mops have been sold, just because the audience members saw how to use the products. The reason why home shopping networks are so successful is because the hosts demonstrate the products and show their enthusiasm for them. People don’t like to admit what they don’t know, but if you show them without insulting them, they will buy and use your product or service.
The first thing to determine is, “Do you need actual training or a demonstration?” A demonstration shows the audience how to use a product, while a hands-on-training session, gives the consumer an opportunity to tryout the product or service. Training sessions are more appropriate for big ticket complicated items while simpler products only need demonstrations.
Next, decide the most important features of your product or service that you want to demonstrate. How does it improve lives and solve problems? Often your sales people will know what features sell the best. Or you may find the features that when shown, change customers’ objections to the product or service. For example, a broadband Internet service provider discovered that when their customers saw the value in high speed services, such as music downloading, photo sharing and chat, they were more likely to upgrade to high speed services.
Then you need to determine what style the demonstration will take. Will it be light or serious? How can you bring creative elements into the demonstration? What will best illustrate the emotional “wow” sensation of the product or service? What style best works for your demographic?
You also have to establish a framework of analogies to work from for your demographic. For years, I taught senior citizens how to use computers. No one wanted to teach them. The training was based on framework they understood. I had to explain how the typewriter evolved into word-processing. Then, explain how word-processing transformed into desktop publishing. I also gave a history of the personal computer and the Internet because this demographic was not following the development of computers at the time. When I wrote a script about HDTV, I needed to show the aspect ratio difference between HDTV and a standard TV, the HDTV wide screen was related to the wide screen in movie theatres and panoramic views.
Another helpful device to use within in your product demonstration or training is “Good Cop/Bad Cop,” one demonstrator is the “nay-sayer” who gets won over by the good guy. Remember that in all good teaching uses the “rule of three.” A student or viewer needs to see and hear a concept three times before it is learned and mastered. The teacher/demonstrator has to find ways to repeat the concept without being condescending or boring.
The demonstration/training will be more effective if it is entertaining. This is where you can have fun with the product or service. Techniques such as parody, dramatization, music, and viewing from the inside out will add depth to the presentation. I once had an editor tell me, “After you do all your research, the story writes itself.” This axiom is often true for demonstrations. After I figure out the objective, interview the sales and product manages, use the product or service, research the demographic and understand the true meaning of the service/product, I can hear the script come to life. The more questions I ask, the better the script becomes.
Product and service demonstrations/training are valuable tools to get and retain customers. They are very cost effective and bring your product or service to life enriching the lives of your customers. Human beings have for centuries learned by telling each other stories around the fire. Bring that fire to your customers and you’ll experience blazing sales.
Friday, June 23, 2006
How to Create Product Names that Sell and Tell
What’s in a Name? Does a Rose by Any Other Name Sell as Sweet?
Good product names act as advertising for your product. They differentiate you from your competitors and keep your customers coming back because they remember you and your product name. There is an art to naming products, and all great product names have the following qualities:
1. The words sound familiar even if it is a new word combination.
2. The word combination illustrates exactly what it product is.
3. The name shows how the product works/operates.
4. The name looks good on the page and on the product.
5. Words are easy to pronounce and sound pleasant.
6. The name grows on people over time.
7. The name is completely different from competitor names and is not confused with other products.
8. After hearing it once, people remember the exact name.
9. It appeals to the demographic of the product.
10. There’s something unique, wacky, fun, humorous or original about the name.
11. There are no trademarks with the same name.
Tips for Creating Your Own Great Product Names
The first thing to do is to keep a list of names you love. Now next to each name write why you like the name. On another page write down competitor names and what you don’t like about them. On the bottom of the page write how you could improve your competitors’ names.
On a separate piece of paper, write down all the words that describe your product. Is there a saying or term that is similar to what you see? Are there any words that jump out to you from the page?
On another page write down what your product does and the needs it fulfills. Use the computer thesaurus to generate similar action verbs.
When you are in good mood and in nice relaxed place, like in a garden or someplace you like. The creative part of the brain works better when you are in a positive or meditative alpha state. When the right brain is an alpha state it ignites your imaginative and creative characteristics as well as your intuition out. In this state the ideas will flow like a river. The alpha state makes you more conductive to innovative thinking, and it creates new ideas rather than just processing old ones over and over again. Sometimes people get in the alpha state while hiking, driving, singing, swimming, dancing, or playing. Do what you love to get into a good state of mind.
Without editing write down all the names for your product that come to mind. Get really silly, see if there is a funnier way of saying what you want. How would a great comedian say it? What would an artist see? What would your crazy aunt call it? Give it an foreign accent. Say it like a teenager. Say it like a baby or little kid. Does it relate to movie name or a saying? What song would it be on the radio?
Once in a meeting room with executives who uncreative but wanted a new product name, I asked, “Bachelor Number One, if you were a hit song on the radio, what would you be? If you were a flower how would you smell? If you were a dog, what breed? What saying would you be on a T-Shirt?
In a flash he came out with the perfect name for the product. Keep asking silly and inane questions and eventually you will get an answer to your prayers.
When you get a good name, it’s like you hear a cash register ring. When you say it to other people their eyes light up with joy and comprehension. It like a hit song, you want to sing over and over again.
If you don’t get any good reactions it will be time to get back to the writing board or hire a professional who thinks out side the dictionary.
Professionals like lw@freelancewriternow.com...
Good product names act as advertising for your product. They differentiate you from your competitors and keep your customers coming back because they remember you and your product name. There is an art to naming products, and all great product names have the following qualities:
1. The words sound familiar even if it is a new word combination.
2. The word combination illustrates exactly what it product is.
3. The name shows how the product works/operates.
4. The name looks good on the page and on the product.
5. Words are easy to pronounce and sound pleasant.
6. The name grows on people over time.
7. The name is completely different from competitor names and is not confused with other products.
8. After hearing it once, people remember the exact name.
9. It appeals to the demographic of the product.
10. There’s something unique, wacky, fun, humorous or original about the name.
11. There are no trademarks with the same name.
Tips for Creating Your Own Great Product Names
The first thing to do is to keep a list of names you love. Now next to each name write why you like the name. On another page write down competitor names and what you don’t like about them. On the bottom of the page write how you could improve your competitors’ names.
On a separate piece of paper, write down all the words that describe your product. Is there a saying or term that is similar to what you see? Are there any words that jump out to you from the page?
On another page write down what your product does and the needs it fulfills. Use the computer thesaurus to generate similar action verbs.
When you are in good mood and in nice relaxed place, like in a garden or someplace you like. The creative part of the brain works better when you are in a positive or meditative alpha state. When the right brain is an alpha state it ignites your imaginative and creative characteristics as well as your intuition out. In this state the ideas will flow like a river. The alpha state makes you more conductive to innovative thinking, and it creates new ideas rather than just processing old ones over and over again. Sometimes people get in the alpha state while hiking, driving, singing, swimming, dancing, or playing. Do what you love to get into a good state of mind.
Without editing write down all the names for your product that come to mind. Get really silly, see if there is a funnier way of saying what you want. How would a great comedian say it? What would an artist see? What would your crazy aunt call it? Give it an foreign accent. Say it like a teenager. Say it like a baby or little kid. Does it relate to movie name or a saying? What song would it be on the radio?
Once in a meeting room with executives who uncreative but wanted a new product name, I asked, “Bachelor Number One, if you were a hit song on the radio, what would you be? If you were a flower how would you smell? If you were a dog, what breed? What saying would you be on a T-Shirt?
In a flash he came out with the perfect name for the product. Keep asking silly and inane questions and eventually you will get an answer to your prayers.
When you get a good name, it’s like you hear a cash register ring. When you say it to other people their eyes light up with joy and comprehension. It like a hit song, you want to sing over and over again.
If you don’t get any good reactions it will be time to get back to the writing board or hire a professional who thinks out side the dictionary.
Professionals like lw@freelancewriternow.com...
Thursday, March 16, 2006
New Wave of Contactless Payments Speeds Up Profits
New Wave of Contactless Payments Speeds Up Profits
by
Lynn Walford
Contactless payments create a whole new field of payment options for merchants. Contactless payments are quick, simple and pave the way for greater profits. A smart computer chip, with data and an antenna is embedded into a credit card, debit card or fob. When the card or fob is tapped on a radio frequency reader, the reader sends out a radio signal that activates the card, the information on the card is read and the payment is processed without a signature for purchases less than $25.00 with no chargebacks to the merchant.
“Merchants don’t need to worry about compatibility with their present systems or security” said, Mohamed Khan, President and Founder of ViVOtech, Santa Clara, Calif.-based developer of contactless software, transaction management systems and readers.
“We have been working closely with processors, card issuers and terminal providers to create an open system using the IS0 14443 standard. It uses secure encryption technology. The contactless card doesn’t leave the customers’ hands therefore it is more secure and there’s no skimming of data,” assured Kahn who sees contactless as a great opportunity for merchants to increase revenue. He envisions contactless payments as a replacement for cash because they are faster, more convenient and cost less due to less shrinkage and less labor involved.
There are two types of contactless readers available: Peripheral Contactless Readers (PCRs) that plug in to existing POS terminals, and Integrated Contactless Readers (ICRs) that replace traditional readers and offer both magnetic-stripe- and contactless-reading capabilities. Merchants can purchase either type of reader. The PCRs usually cost around $150. Some merchant service providers such as Acies, however, are offering deals competitive plans and free readers with terminals.
David Robertson, Publisher of The Nilson Report (Carpinteria, Calif.) estimates that there are 12 million contactless cards currently in circulation in the U.S. He predicts that first contactless successes will be at the brand name retailers and then merchants in the areas where cards are deployed will follow suit when their customers ask to use their contactless cards.
Customers are asking for contactless in the New York Metro area where many cards have been “dropped,” says Oleg Frier CEO and President Acies, Inc, a New York City-headquartered national payment processing and financial services provider. Other areas where there are substantial contactless readers and cards include Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas and Orlando, says Khan.
Studies show the speed and added value of contactless payments because typically when someone does not pay with cash the amount of the transaction increases. Visa trials showed their contactless card transactions were 25% faster than cash. MasterCard PayPass trials showed an increase in transaction amounts and 12 to 18 second reductions in payment times for drive-thru transactions. Aite Group reports that CVS, the drug store chain, has found the average contactless transaction takes 12.5 seconds, versus 26.7 seconds for magnetic-stripe card payments and 33.7 seconds for a cash transaction.
Merchants who have a small time frame to service customers, such as fast food restaurants, coffee houses, movie theatres, drug stores, convenience stores and drive-thrus can benefit greatly from contactless payment methods. McDonald’s, AMC Theatres, CVS, Meijer, Duane Reade, Regal Entertainment, Ritz Camera, Arby’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Eckerd, Carl’s Jr., Good Times Burger, KFC, RaceTrac, Subway, Sonic (Drive-In Restaurants) and Walgreens have installed contactless readers. Convenience stores are gearing up to accept contactless payments. Contactless readers are being installed in 5,300 7-Eleven stores and 350 Sheetz stores. WaWa markets is installing over 2000 readers in its 540 stores co-branded with a credit card and loyalty program.
Card associations are also gung-ho for contactless payments.
“It takes a village to launch a new technology, at Visa, we have an absolute commitment to assure success of contactless payments,” said Elvira Swanson, Visa spokeswoman. Visa, with four million Visa Contactless cards in circulation, offers collateral materials, online demos, and merchant support teams to help educate merchants.
“This is the real thing. Contactless is beyond the ‘chicken and egg’ concept stage now, when you look at how many financial institutions have made the decision to offer contactless and the number of national merchants accepting it,” said T.J. Sharkey, Vice President, Business Development, U.S. Acceptance, MasterCard International. MasterCard is supporting contactless in many ways. Merchants who accept contactless payments are listed at the MasterCard Web site where there are demonstrations on how their Tap N Go, PayPass cards work. Television commercials illustrating their PayPass cards are airing nationally.
Banks issuing contactless cards include Citibank, MBNA, HSBC (debit cards), JP Morgan Chase, Key Bank (debit cards) and Citizen.
There have been several pilot contactless programs in sports stadiums including San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Recently, another form factor of contactless has been added into the mix, with the trial of NFC (Near Field Communications) contactless payments from cell phones at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. Season ticket holders with Chase-issued Visa credit accounts and Cingular Wireless accounts can make contactless payments by simply holding their Nokia mobile phones equipped with Philips' NFC semiconductor chips and ViVOtech software near one of the 150 terminals. NFC is compatible with ISO 1443 readers has other features such as the ability to transmit a coupon to a reader.
“Contactless payments are the wave of the future and will change the way the world pays for purchases,” Khan said enthusiastically.
###
Lynn Walford (lw@freelancewriternow.com) is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about technology and financial services. She admits to using her ATM card to pay for single items on the dollar value menu at McDonald’s. For more information go to http://www.freelancewriternow.com.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
How to Find and Hire a Great Freelance Writer/Copywriter
How to Find and Hire a Great Freelance Writer/Copywriter
by
Lynn Walford
Seek and Ye Shall Find?
Sometimes finding a good writer can be harder than finding a soul mate because writing and copywriting are subjective arts and if you are not a writer, you can not see the difference between a good writer and an excellent writer. If you are looking for a writer on the Web by searching on terms such as writer and copywriter, there are few things you should look for once you find a writer’s website:
Excited, Delighted or Uninvited?
Excellent writing entertains and excites, quickly and concisely. When you read the writer’s website you should be drawn in. Does she ask the reader questions? Does he understand what you want? Does she seem friendly? Does he have relevant experience? Does she list what kinds of services she offers?
Location, Location, Location
Often businesses hiring a writer want to look for someone nearby so they search, writer, Los Angeles if they live in Los Angeles, if the writers don’t show an address or location where they work, you’ll never find then. You’ll be able to get a general idea of where the writer is by either the contact page or by references to work completed.
A Bad Writer Ain’t Hard to Find
If you notice grammar and spelling mistakes you are probably on the wrong page. Also if the style and design of a writer’s website looks bad, even if their writing looks good, you should be wary. Good writing is neat and pleasant looking.
Ample Parking and Samples
Excellent writing on the Web, gives the reader plenty of potential to stop, park, click and look for a while. If the writer doesn’t link to more writing and industry resources, she/he is less professional than the ones who do know that linking is best form of networking around. You ought to find several kinds of writing samples. If you don’t find the kind of samples you like, e-mail or call the writer and ask for exactly what you want.
RSVP
Response is also important to you and the writer. Although a few second e-mail response-time is possible, a day or overnight return time is reasonable. If you want a faster response, be sure to tell the writer that you are in hurry and on a deadline. When writers don’t respond in a timely manner, they miss out on your work.
Check References
Once you locate the name of the writer, do not hesitate searching for other references of the writer on the Web. Type the name in a search engine with an appropriate word such as writer. For example, when I searched my name Lynn Walford with the word writer, along with my website http://www.freelancewriternow.com, a photo of me standing next my former editor Michael Goldstein at a Mediabistro Justice Magazine party appeared. I never saw the photo until I searched my own name! Of course writers and authors names should also appear on magazine articles and bylines in other media. I also found myself in an article on naming books by Robin Quinn at the PMA website.
Titular Savvy or Tense---What’s in a Name?
Look at the title of the writer’s website. Is it catchy? Memorable? Does it Make Sense? Of course when someone is born Anna Matto Poeeah, (pronounced just like onomatopoeia, the poetic word for when something also sounds like its name such as whispering or clang) you can’t hold it against her. However, when writers don’t take the time to name their websites appropriately, they can’t write a title for you.
The Price is Write
Some writers charge by the hour, by the piece or by the word. Whomever you choose, she/he should be able to give an estimate on how much your project will cost. Vagueness usually means no experience.
Rewrite Right?
Most excellent writers and copywriters will give a free rewrite if you don’t like what they do. Always ask if they will rewrite it for you if you don’t like it.
Test, Quiz
If you are planning a major project such as a white paper, which can be expensive, look for a writer in advance and ask him/her to write a small project for you first, then you can see if you can work with him/her and also test knowledge.
Well, Well, Well.
Writing well is a precise art with a sense of urgency and a taste of the divine. You should be able to tell good writing when you find it. It comes to life, sings and shines. When you read something like ” Avoid cliches like the plague,” found on “26 Golden Rules for Writing Well” you are definitely in the wrong place.
Lynn Walford (lw@freelancewriternow ) is a freelance writer, copywriter and author in Los Angeles. She has written for numerous publications and loves to write for business. She runs the website http://www.freelancewriternow.com. She is currently working on the book “Dance like the Stars – Learn from the Pros.”
Copyright Notice: This article may be used for free as long the contact information and link remains intact.
by
Lynn Walford
Seek and Ye Shall Find?
Sometimes finding a good writer can be harder than finding a soul mate because writing and copywriting are subjective arts and if you are not a writer, you can not see the difference between a good writer and an excellent writer. If you are looking for a writer on the Web by searching on terms such as writer and copywriter, there are few things you should look for once you find a writer’s website:
Excited, Delighted or Uninvited?
Excellent writing entertains and excites, quickly and concisely. When you read the writer’s website you should be drawn in. Does she ask the reader questions? Does he understand what you want? Does she seem friendly? Does he have relevant experience? Does she list what kinds of services she offers?
Location, Location, Location
Often businesses hiring a writer want to look for someone nearby so they search, writer, Los Angeles if they live in Los Angeles, if the writers don’t show an address or location where they work, you’ll never find then. You’ll be able to get a general idea of where the writer is by either the contact page or by references to work completed.
A Bad Writer Ain’t Hard to Find
If you notice grammar and spelling mistakes you are probably on the wrong page. Also if the style and design of a writer’s website looks bad, even if their writing looks good, you should be wary. Good writing is neat and pleasant looking.
Ample Parking and Samples
Excellent writing on the Web, gives the reader plenty of potential to stop, park, click and look for a while. If the writer doesn’t link to more writing and industry resources, she/he is less professional than the ones who do know that linking is best form of networking around. You ought to find several kinds of writing samples. If you don’t find the kind of samples you like, e-mail or call the writer and ask for exactly what you want.
RSVP
Response is also important to you and the writer. Although a few second e-mail response-time is possible, a day or overnight return time is reasonable. If you want a faster response, be sure to tell the writer that you are in hurry and on a deadline. When writers don’t respond in a timely manner, they miss out on your work.
Check References
Once you locate the name of the writer, do not hesitate searching for other references of the writer on the Web. Type the name in a search engine with an appropriate word such as writer. For example, when I searched my name Lynn Walford with the word writer, along with my website http://www.freelancewriternow.com, a photo of me standing next my former editor Michael Goldstein at a Mediabistro Justice Magazine party appeared. I never saw the photo until I searched my own name! Of course writers and authors names should also appear on magazine articles and bylines in other media. I also found myself in an article on naming books by Robin Quinn at the PMA website.
Titular Savvy or Tense---What’s in a Name?
Look at the title of the writer’s website. Is it catchy? Memorable? Does it Make Sense? Of course when someone is born Anna Matto Poeeah, (pronounced just like onomatopoeia, the poetic word for when something also sounds like its name such as whispering or clang) you can’t hold it against her. However, when writers don’t take the time to name their websites appropriately, they can’t write a title for you.
The Price is Write
Some writers charge by the hour, by the piece or by the word. Whomever you choose, she/he should be able to give an estimate on how much your project will cost. Vagueness usually means no experience.
Rewrite Right?
Most excellent writers and copywriters will give a free rewrite if you don’t like what they do. Always ask if they will rewrite it for you if you don’t like it.
Test, Quiz
If you are planning a major project such as a white paper, which can be expensive, look for a writer in advance and ask him/her to write a small project for you first, then you can see if you can work with him/her and also test knowledge.
Well, Well, Well.
Writing well is a precise art with a sense of urgency and a taste of the divine. You should be able to tell good writing when you find it. It comes to life, sings and shines. When you read something like ” Avoid cliches like the plague,” found on “26 Golden Rules for Writing Well” you are definitely in the wrong place.
Lynn Walford (lw@freelancewriternow ) is a freelance writer, copywriter and author in Los Angeles. She has written for numerous publications and loves to write for business. She runs the website http://www.freelancewriternow.com. She is currently working on the book “Dance like the Stars – Learn from the Pros.”
Copyright Notice: This article may be used for free as long the contact information and link remains intact.
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